UNICEF warns of AI risks to child online safety

UNICEF Vietnam has warned that rapid advances in AI are creating new risks for child online safety, including AI-generated child sexual abuse material and deepfakes.

The UNICEF Vietnam Representative, Silvia Danailov, issued a warning to mark International Children’s Day and Vietnam’s Month of Action for Children, which is held under the theme ‘Happy, safe and confident children in the digital world.’

Danailov said digital technologies can help children learn, connect, and develop future skills, but also create new forms of harm. She warned that generative AI can now be used to create highly realistic sexual images or videos of children without their knowledge or consent.

UNICEF, ECPAT, and INTERPOL research across 11 countries found that at least 1.2 million children reported that their images had been manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes in the past year. Danailov said such harms can have lasting effects, even when images are digitally created, because children experience fear, shame, and loss of trust.

Nearly nine in ten children aged 12 to 17 in Vietnam are online, with many spending five to seven hours a day on the internet. Danailov said AI-driven risks add a new layer to existing challenges, such as cyberbullying and online exploitation, while also exposing inequalities between children who are supported online and those who are not.

Vietnam has strengthened its legal and policy framework, including a new government decree effective from 16 May 2026 that reinforces children’s right to privacy by prohibiting the disclosure of a child’s personal information without the child’s consent, when aged seven or older, and with the consent of their parents or caregivers.

The country has also approved the National Programme on Child Online Protection and Support for Development for 2026–2030, aimed at protecting children and empowering them as confident digital citizens through stronger legal frameworks, improved systems, education, and coordinated action.

UNICEF called for laws and enforcement to keep pace with technology, stronger child protection systems, safer platform design by technology companies, and better support for schools and families. Danailov also stressed that children must be heard and involved in creating safer digital environments.

Why does it matter?

The warning shows how generative AI is changing the landscape of child online safety. Children can now be harmed even without direct interaction with an offender, including through manipulated images and deepfake abuse. That makes child protection harder for families, schools, platforms, and regulators, and increases the need for safety-by-design, stronger reporting systems, legal safeguards, and trusted support channels for children.

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