UN Warns: AI Threats to Children Are Escalating — From Deepfakes to Grooming

Advanced | February 3, 2026

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The Big Warning: AI threats to children are escalating

What the UN is saying

On January 26, 2026, UN-linked reporting warned that AI threats to children are growing fast — not just in “weird internet” corners, but on mainstream platforms where kids spend time every day. The concern isn’t only what children see online, but what AI helps predators do: create convincing fakes, target vulnerable kids with personalized manipulation, and scale abuse in ways that were harder before. (UN story republished via The European Sting)

The messy reality: deepfakes, grooming, and “custom” manipulation

According to child-safety advocates cited in the report, predators can use AI to analyze a child’s online behavior, emotions, and interests — then tailor grooming messages to sound more believable and more personal. The same UN-linked reporting also warns that AI makes it easier to generate explicit fake images of real children, which can fuel a new style of sexual extortion (“Do what I say or I’ll share this.”). (The European Sting)

What’s driving the urgency

A scary jump in reported cases

One data point in the story hits like a brick: the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute reported that technology-facilitated child abuse cases in the U.S. rose from 4,700 in 2023 to more than 67,000 in 2024. That doesn’t prove AI caused every case — but it does show the scale of the problem is exploding while the tools get more powerful. (The European Sting)

“AI illiteracy” is part of the problem

The UN-backed discussion also points to a basic gap: many children, parents, teachers, and even policymakers lack AI literacy — meaning they don’t really understand what AI can generate, how it can be used to persuade, or how fast bad actors can iterate. (The European Sting)

The UN’s playbook: guidelines + accountability

A joint statement with a “do this now” tone

A wide group of UN bodies and partners issued a Joint Statement on Artificial Intelligence and the Rights of the Child (the document is dated November 2025). It calls for a child-rights approach to how AI is designed, deployed, and governed — and it’s very direct about who needs to act: governments, UN bodies, companies, and civil society. (Joint Statement PDF)

What the recommendations look like (in plain business terms)

The statement pushes for practical moves that feel very “compliance + risk management,” including:

Child-rights impact assessments and public-facing monitoring so risks are identified early (think: audit before a scandal). (Joint Statement PDF)
Stronger transparency and accountability from both governments and companies, including reporting and child-friendly complaint mechanisms. (Joint Statement PDF)
Better data protection and privacy-by-design, especially for systems likely to be used by children. (Joint Statement PDF)
A focus on child safety, including tackling deepfakes, grooming, cyberbullying, and exploitation amplified by AI. (Joint Statement PDF)

And yes, the statement even discusses options like age assurance mechanisms on platforms where it’s necessary and proportionate to protect kids — with a warning to do it in a privacy-respecting way. (Joint Statement PDF)

Why businesses should care (even if you don’t “do kids”)

In business terms, this is a reputation + legal + platform risk story. If your product touches the internet, your brand can get dragged into the mess: ads placed next to harmful content, user communities used for grooming, or AI features that generate something you never intended.

One senior UN-linked voice, Cosmas Zavazava of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), says the private sector needs to be part of the solution — and the message is blunt: responsible AI doesn’t kill profit; it’s how you avoid “unwanted outcomes” while still competing. (ITU summary page; The European Sting)

Vocabulary

Deepfake (noun) – an AI-made image, video, or audio that looks real but is fake.
Example: “A deepfake can make a fake video look like a real person said something.”
Grooming (noun) – building trust with a child online to exploit them later.
Example: “Predators may use grooming messages that feel friendly and personal.”
Extortion (noun) – forcing someone to do something by threatening them.
Example: “Some offenders use fake images for extortion.”
Advocate (noun) – someone who supports or speaks publicly for a cause.
Example: “Child-safety advocates warned that AI can scale abuse.”
AI literacy (noun phrase) – the ability to understand what AI can do and how it can be misused.
Example: “AI literacy helps parents spot manipulation and scams.”
Accountability (noun) – being responsible for outcomes and answerable when harm happens.
Example: “The statement calls for accountability from both governments and companies.”
Impact assessment (noun phrase) – a structured evaluation of likely risks and harms before launch.
Example: “A child-rights impact assessment can catch risks before they go live.”
Privacy-by-design (noun) – building privacy protections into a product from the start.
Example: “Privacy-by-design reduces the chance of exposing children’s data.”
Age assurance (noun phrase) – methods used to estimate or confirm a user’s age.
Example: “Some platforms are exploring age assurance to limit risks for minors.”
Bias-free (adjective) – not unfairly favoring or harming groups of people.
Example: “The UN statement urges bias-free AI so children benefit equally.”

Discussion Questions (About the Article)

Which AI threats to children feel most urgent: deepfakes, grooming, cyberbullying, or something else?
Why do you think AI makes grooming more effective than “old-school” online messaging?
What do you think about the Childlight data jump from 2023 to 2024?
Which recommendation sounds most realistic: audits, age checks, privacy-by-design, or stronger laws?
Where should responsibility sit: parents, schools, tech companies, or government regulators?

Discussion Questions (About the Topic)

Should social media have a minimum age that’s strictly enforced? Why or why not?
How can we protect kids online without turning the internet into a locked-down “government daycare”?
If you ran a tech company, what one policy would you implement immediately?
What should schools teach about AI so kids can recognize manipulation?
How do you balance innovation with safety when the tech changes faster than laws?

Related Idiom / Phrase

“A moving target” – something that keeps changing, so it’s hard to control.

Example: “Online safety is a moving target because AI tools evolve faster than most rules.”

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This article was inspired by: UN story republished via The European Sting, the ITU Joint Statement PDF, and the ITU Director’s Corner summary.