UN Warns: Artificial Intelligence Is Rapidly Escalating Digital Threats to Children
The United Nations (UN) has warned that artificial intelligence technologies are significantly increasing the risks of abuse, exploitation, and psychological harm to children. In a joint statement released across the UN system, it was emphasized that practices such as the production of fake images and videos (deepfakes) and online grooming—defined as building trust with children for the purpose of abuse—are becoming increasingly serious threats.
Cosmas Zavazava, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), stated that children are being exposed to complex and highly targeted attacks in digital environments. Zavazava noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, online abuse had particularly severe consequences for girls and young women, and that in many cases such abuse translated into physical harm.
Organizations working in the field of children’s rights report that offenders are using AI tools to analyze children’s online behavior, emotional states, and interests. Based on this analysis, strategies of online grooming aimed at establishing trust with children are being increasingly personalized. At the same time, artificial intelligence enables the creation of fake and explicit images that appear to depict real children, contributing to the spread of new forms of digital sexual extortion.
A 2025 report by the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute highlighted the scale of the problem. According to the report, technology-facilitated child abuse cases in the United States rose from 4,700 in 2023 to more than 67,000 in 2024. As the problem continues to grow on a global scale, some countries have begun to take stricter measures. Australia became the first country in the world to ban social media accounts for children under the age of 16 at the end of 2025. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Malaysia are preparing similar legal regulations and restrictions to better protect children in digital environments.