1 in 16 internet-using children in Pakistan faced abuse
Nearly one in 16 internet-using children in Pakistan, aged 12 to 17, faced sexual exploitation or abuse in a single year, a Unicef study found.
About 1.5 million internet-using children in Pakistan — nearly one in 16 of those aged 12 to 17 — experienced technology-facilitated sexual exploitation or abuse in a single year.
In 85 per cent of incidents children described, the person responsible was someone they already knew; social media was the setting in 44 per cent.
Unicef says more than half told no one, and none of the children surveyed reported what happened to a helpline, a social worker or the police.
Najat Maalla M'jid told the UN General Assembly on Monday that artificial intelligence has opened new paths for child sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, deepfakes and recruitment into crime.
The Pakistan figures come from Disrupting Harm in Pakistan, published in September 2026 by Unicef, ECPAT International and INTERPOL.