Two-thirds of children worldwide report cyberbullying – UN

MANILA, Philippines — Around two-thirds of children worldwide said cyberbullying is increasing, with one in two saying they don’t know how to get the right support, and artificial intelligence is a key driver of harm, according to a new United Nations report.

The report launched at the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday in Geneva was based on the findings of a recent poll carried out by the UN’s top official who works to end violence against children.

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

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.

“We meet today once again in a challenging world, where children are paying the highest price,” said Najat Maalla M’jid, UN special representative of the secretary-general on violence against children, while launching the report at the Human Rights Council.

With responses from two-thirds (66 percent) of 30,000 children polled globally, the report emphasized the widespread impact of 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 these from real human interaction.

AI deepfakes “are increasingly used to humiliate, threaten and exploit children online,” M’jid said.

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.