An ‘alarming’ two-thirds of children say cyberbullying has increased

The report highlights “alarming trends” and “the urgent need for the entire online ecosystem to act faster and together to protect children,” the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, said. 

The findings come amid increasing threats to children with growing conflicts, displacement, poverty, and levels of violence. 

“We meet today once again in a challenging world, where children are paying the highest price,” said Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, while launching the report at the Human Rights Council on Tuesday in Geneva.

AI ‘fundamentally transforming the threat’

With responses from over 30,000 children across every region, the report emphasised the widespread impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in “fundamentally transforming the threat” facing children 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 at a massive scale.

In the current climate, which enables AI-generated deepfake photos and videos and the manipulation of children through chatbots and other tools, children often over-trust and cannot distinguish from real human interaction.

AI deepfakes “are increasingly used to humiliate, threaten and exploit children online” warned the statement released by Dr. M’jid office on Tuesday.

Fears over stigma 

Children find it challenging to report cyberbullying because they face stigma and fear, being rejected by their peers or being judged by adults, according to the findings,

The impact of not reporting can be immediate and devastating – causing psychological distress and lasting reputational harm in just a matter of seconds. In the most tragic cases, it can drive children to take their own lives.

Design digital world ‘with us’

Dr. M’jid stressed the need to involve all with a stake in the child online protection ecosystem, including, governments, industry, educators, families, children and youth, 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 must not become places where harm is reported but never resolved. They must be places where help comes quickly, safely, humanly. Do not design the digital future for children. Design it with us.”