Kenya: More Than 1 in 4 Kenyan Children Subjected to Tech-Facilitated Sexual Abuse - Unicef

What the report says

A UNICEF report highlighted the scale of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse affecting children in Kenya, based on research published through Capital FM and distributed by AllAfrica. The findings focus on internet-using children aged 12 to 17 and place the survey in Nairobi, with the Kenya data drawn mainly from 2020-2021. UNICEF said 26.83% of these children experienced at least one form of the abuse in the year before the survey, which it said amounted to about 1.29 million children.

The report found that most incidents in Kenya involved someone the child already knew, rather than a stranger. Social media was the most common setting linked to the abuse, while gaming platforms and in-person situations enabled by technology also appeared in the data. UNICEF said these patterns show that abuse is not confined to anonymous online encounters and can be connected to trusted relationships and platform features.

The study also pointed to a major reporting gap. Many cases were not disclosed at all, and only very small shares were reported to police, social workers or helplines. UNICEF said children were more likely to tell friends or family than formal services. The report also noted an association with higher anxiety among affected children, while cautioning that this does not prove causation. UNICEF called for safer platform design, stronger privacy protections and better reporting and support pathways. The wider research covered 21 countries, with Kenya’s prevalence close to the six-country regional average cited in the report.