UN warns of escalating violence against children, calls for strengthening digital protection

The UN said that 20 years after the publication of the United Nations study on violence against children and with fewer than four years remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the world is not on track to keep its promise to end violence against children by 2030.

The international community must now continue working together, better and faster, for and with children, to ensure that they do not have to wait another generation to enjoy a world where they can grow and thrive, without fear and without violence, according to the latest progress report compiled by Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, which will be submitted to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81 Meetings) this month for debate.

The report noted the heightened risks of sexual violence and life-long disabilities as a consequence of their being subjected to violence. Climate change and natural disasters also act as threat multipliers that exacerbate protection risks, with 1.1 billion children now exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards.

The report said that since taking up her role in July 2019, the Special Representative has undertaken 65 visits at the country level to engage with national authorities in Member States, including 5 since her last report to the General Assembly, and is preparing a further 10 visits for the remainder of 2026.

Throughout her country visits and other country engagements since 2019, the Special Representative has met with 35 Heads of State or Government or their deputies, as well as with 728 ministers and senior officials across all sectors, in addition to 96 municipal and local governments.

The report explained that almost 19% of the world’s children now live in conflict zones, a sharp increase from 10% in the 1990s. Close to 50 million children had been displaced across and within countries due to conflict and violence globally by the end of 2024, with the global number of displaced children nearly tripling between 2010 and 2024.

Climate change and natural disasters also act as threat multipliers that exacerbate protection risks, with 1.1 billion children now exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards, it added.

According to the report, one of the most profound transformations since the United Nations study was published has been the rapid expansion of violence against children in the digital environment. Today, 1 in 3 Internet users is a child and digital technologies have become an integral part of children’s daily lives. While connectivity has created unprecedented opportunities for learning, participation and social interaction, it has also generated new forms of violence and exploitation.

These include sexual exploitation and abuse; cyberbullying; harmful content; promotion of suicide and self-harm; hate speech; misinformation; privacy violations; fraud and identity theft; and technology-facilitated crimes such as trafficking and recruitment by criminal and armed groups. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence are creating additional risks.

Existing data, the report noted, underline the urgency of tackling this development. For example, more than 300 million children a year are victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse. At least 1.2 million children disclosed having had their images manipulated by artificial intelligence into sexually explicit deepfakes in the past year.

A poll carried out by the Office of the Special Representative with over 30,000 children across all regions in 2025 found that 66% think that cyberbullying has increased.

The Specia Representative called for a comprehensive approach grounded in prevention, protection, participation and accountability. Its overarching recommendations included the development of national strategies, legal prohibition of all forms of violence, stronger data and research, investment in child protection systems, and the active participation of children in decisions affecting them.

The global cost of lost human capital associated with mental health conditions among children, for example, is estimated at $393 billion annually.