The findings come amid growing threats to children with rising conflict, displacement, poverty and levels of violence.
“We find ourselves today once again in a challenging world, where children pay the highest price.” said Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Violence against Children, presenting the report at the Human Rights Council on Tuesday in Geneva.
AI “fundamentally transforms the threat”
With Responses from more than 30,000 children in all regions.The report emphasized the widespread impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in “fundamentally transforming the threat” children face online.
The rapid advancement and accessibility of generative AI is reshaping cyberbullying, making it faster, more targeted, harder to detect, and capable of spreading across multiple platforms on a massive scale.
In the current climate, which allows deepfake photos and videos generated by AI and the manipulation of children through chatbots and other tools, children often rely too much and cannot distinguish from real human interaction.
AI Deepfakes “are increasingly used to humiliate, threaten and exploit children online” warned the statement issued by Dr. M’jid’s office on Tuesday.
Stigma fears
According to the findings, children find it difficult to report cyberbullying because they face stigma and fear, are rejected by their peers or judged by adults.
The impact of failing to report can be immediate and devastating – causing psychological distress and lasting reputational damage in a matter of seconds. In the most tragic cases, it can lead children to take their own lives.
Design the digital world ‘with us’
Dr. M’jid stressed the need to involve everyone who has an interest in the online child protection ecosystemincluding governments, industry, educators, families, children and young people, as the only way to protect children from online harm while enabling safe digital participation.
One child consulted by Dr. M’jid’s team said that “Digital spaces should not become places where harm is reported but never resolved.. They must be places where help arrives quickly, safely and humanely. Don’t design the digital future for children. Design it with us.”