The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on regulators to make tougher laws to address the rise in AI-generated child abuse content. UNICEF made the call on Wednesday, pointing to reports of a rapid surge in the volume of AI-generated sexualized images circulating on the internet.
Those AI-generated images mainly included cases where photographs of children have been manipulated and sexualized. The agency also argued that the rise in AI-powered image or video generation tools producing child sexual abuse materials escalates the risks to children through digital technologies. The agency is asking governments for urgent action to prevent the creation and spread of AI-generated sexual content of children.
UNICEF wants a tougher stance against AI-generated abuse content
In its report, UNICEF noted that less than 5 years ago, high-quality generative models required significant computing power and expertise. However, the current open-source models make it easier for perpetrators to create sexual abuse content. The agency also believes that although no real child is directly involved, such content normalizes the sexualization of children and complicates victim identification.
UNICEF argued that perpetrators can create realistic sexual images of a child without their involvement or awareness. The body said such content can violate a child’s right to protection without even knowing it has happened. The agency also stated that children are faced with shame, stigma, more judgment from peers and adults, social isolation, and long-term emotional harm.
UNICEF also revealed that the rise in accessibility of AI-powered image or video generation tools has led to a surge in the production and spread of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). The UK’s Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) found approximately 14,000 suspected AI-generated images on a single dark-web forum dedicated to child sexual abuse materials in just one month.
Study reveals extent of the rot
The report disclosed that a third of the materials were criminal and the first realistic AI videos of child sexual abuse. IWF also discovered 3,440 AI videos of child sexual abuse, a 26,362% surge from the 13 videos found the previous year. 2,230 (65%) of the videos were categorized as Category A for being so extreme, while a further 1,020 (30%) were categorized as Category B.
The agency also identified AI CSAM on mainstream platforms, which included deepfake nudes created in peer-to-peer contexts targeting girls. The organization also pointed to an instance in Korea where law enforcement reported a 10x surge in sexual offenses involving AI and deepfake technologies between 2022 and 2024. The AI and deepfakes mainly included teenagers, constituting the majority of the accused.
Thorny’s survey discovered that 1 in 10 teens in the U.S. knew of cases where friends had created synthetic non-consensual intimate images of children using AI tools. UNICEF, ECPAT International, and INTERPOL also found that across 11 countries, around 1.2 million children found their images manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes through AI tools in 2025.
The agencies also reported that up to two-thirds of children in some 11 countries worry that AI could be used to create fake sexual images. UNICEF argued that parents and caregivers need to be informed about AI-enabled sexual exploitation and abuse. The agency also called for schools to educate students about AI-related risks and the harm they cause to affected individuals.
