UNICEF–Interpol Report Flags Alarming Rise in AI-Driven Deepfake Abuse of Children Worldwide
A sharp rise in the misuse of artificial intelligence to create deepfake content has exposed children across the world to serious online abuse, with an estimated 1.2 million minors falling victim over the past year, according to a new global report.
The study, jointly prepared by UNICEF and INTERPOL, reveals that children’s images are increasingly being manipulated using AI tools to generate sexually explicit material.
The report is based on research conducted across 11 countries between the end of 2023 and early 2025, spanning Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe.
More than 50,000 children aged 12 to 17, along with their parents, were surveyed for the study.
In several countries, the findings were particularly disturbing, with data suggesting that one in every 25 children had been affected by deepfake abuse.
What is a Deepfake?
A deepfake is digitally altered content—usually images, videos, or audio—created using artificial intelligence to make it appear real. In the context of child exploitation, AI tools are used to manipulate innocent photographs of minors and transform them into explicit or compromising images, often without their knowledge.
These fake visuals are then circulated online, leading to emotional trauma, blackmail, and long-term psychological harm.
Girls More Vulnerable
The report highlights a clear gender disparity in abuse. Around 64 per cent of affected girls were victims of “nudification,” a process in which AI is used to create fake nude images.
Boys, on the other hand, were more frequently targeted for financial sexual extortion, accounting for about 36 per cent of reported cases.
Alarmingly, over 90 per cent of such incidents were recorded in countries that lack strict laws regulating artificial intelligence.
The report also notes that more than half of the content available online today is so convincingly altered that distinguishing between real and fake material has become extremely difficult.
UNICEF has warned that the rapid spread of AI-generated abuse poses a grave threat to child safety and dignity, calling for urgent global cooperation, stronger legislation, and better digital awareness among parents and children alike.
The agency stressed that without decisive action, deepfake technology could become one of the most dangerous tools for child exploitation in the digital age.
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