On July 4, UNICEF issued a stark warning following new research: children around the world are adopting artificial intelligence at a far faster rate than governments and regulators can put in place protective safeguards, leaving millions of young users exposed to preventable harm to their privacy, safety and fundamental rights.
Drawing on data collected across 10 countries, UNICEF’s analysis estimates that at least 20 million children have already used AI tools, with children adopting the emerging technology three times faster than their adult counterparts on average. The report breaks down common use cases among young users: roughly 13 million children leverage AI for school assignments and homework, while more than 2 million turn to the technology to get advice on personal issues they may be reluctant to share with adults.
Beyond daily use, UNICEF highlighted a deeply alarming abuse case: previous estimates confirm that AI has already been misused to create sexually explicit deepfake images of at least 1.2 million children.
The organization emphasized that the exponential growth of child AI use has raced far ahead of updated legislation and regulatory frameworks. Currently, most AI systems interact with children without meaningful checks to protect their privacy, physical and emotional safety, and basic human rights. Worse still, children have almost no input into how these AI systems are designed or governed, even though they will bear the long-term consequences of poorly regulated AI technology for decades to come.
While UNICEF acknowledged that AI carries transformative potential to advance children’s learning, spark creativity and expand access to knowledge, major gaps remain in understanding how persistent AI use impacts children’s long-term cognitive development, overall well-being, and risk of emotional dependence on technology. Right now, an entire generation of children is growing up surrounded by AI at a time when the full impacts of this technology on young people remain largely understudied, the report noted.
The research also captured children’s own concerns about AI risks: one in three children surveyed expressed worry that AI will be used for scams, manipulation and disinformation, while one in four fear their own photos or videos will be altered to create non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes.
In response to these growing risks, UNICEF is calling on governments, technology companies, and civil society organizations to place child protection at the core of all AI development and governance. The organization’s policy recommendations include expanded investment into research on AI’s impact on children, stricter legislation to crack down on AI-fueled sexual exploitation of children, mandatory “safety-by-design” AI frameworks that embed child protection into system development from the start, and expanded investment in digital literacy training for children, parents and educators.
UNICEF notes that this call for action is particularly urgent for Suriname, where recent incidents of AI-manipulated images and videos being spread online have already demonstrated the new risks unregulated AI brings to the country. For Suriname, investments in digital resilience, AI literacy, updated appropriate legislation, and effective child protection measures are critical to addressing these risks, the organization says.
To support these efforts, UNICEF has confirmed it stands ready to partner with the Surinamese government, education sector, civil society groups and private industry to build a safe digital environment where children are protected from harm while still being able to access and use AI’s opportunities responsibly.