Ukrainian schoolchildren use the Internet in large numbers, but some of them face the risk of sexual abuse and exploitation. An analytical report by the ICCO Child Rescue Service in partnership with the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights reveals the scale of this problem, as well as the behavioural and age-specific characteristics of children in the digital space.
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Mass and early entry into the digital world
The vast majority of Ukrainian children (over 89%) use the Internet every day or almost every day. Most of them have a personal smartphone, and more than 95% of respondents have access to the Internet at home. The most popular platforms among schoolchildren are YouTube (91%), Viber (79.5%), TikTok (59.7%), Instagram (59.6%) and Telegram (44.1%). Children actively create accounts, often having several pages on the same network – this is especially common on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
The average age of the first acquaintance with the Internet is 6-8 years old. As early as 8-9 years old, the majority of children register on social media for the first time, which is significantly lower than the officially permitted age (13 years for most platforms). This creates vulnerability to risky content even before a child can consciously evaluate it.
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Children’s online behaviour and attitudes towards learning
More than a third of children spend 3 to 5 hours online every day, and about 10% spend more than 7 hours. Most of this time is not spent on learning activities: two-thirds of children spend less than 2 hours a day on online learning, and one in ten children do not use the Internet for this purpose at all.
Interestingly, younger students are more likely to use their parents’ tablets and phones, while older students mostly have their own gadgets. Girls are more likely to use messengers, while boys are more likely to choose video platforms and online games.
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Experience of viewing sexualised content
More than half of the children surveyed admitted that they had seen sexual content on the Internet at least a few times over the past year. 29% – at least once a month, 15% – once a week, and almost 6% – every day. Most say that such content appears in the form of advertisements or posts on social media. At the same time, children are more likely to encounter such materials unexpectedly – in 72% of cases, the first contact was spontaneous.
The age of first contact with sexual content in most cases is 7-13 years old. In 2.5% of children, this happened in preschool. Girls are more likely to receive such content in private messages from strangers, while boys are more likely to deliberately search for it or view it with others. The highest concentration of such cases is among high school students, urban residents, and active social media users.
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Accounts, duplicates and digital security risks
Almost half of children have more than one account on one social network. There are various reasons for this: loss of password, creation of pages for specific purposes (education, fan groups, shared profiles), the desire to separate personal and public information or to receive bonuses in online games. It is also worth highlighting cases of fake accounts being created to communicate with strangers or even bullying.
Primary school children tend to register on TikTok, Likee and other platforms to create entertainment content. Older children are more likely to create accounts on VK, Instagram, and even Twitter. This indicates that they are more aware, but also at a higher risk of getting into a potentially dangerous digital environment.
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Prospects for protection
The report shows that Ukrainian children enter the digital space early and often without sufficient knowledge of the risks. The prevalence of sexual content, including unintentional sexual content, is high, and the digital behaviour of many children is chaotic and unstructured.
Analysts emphasise the need for a systematic educational campaign, raising the level of media literacy and digital safety, both among children and among parents and teachers. It is especially important to create school prevention programmes to help children better navigate the online space and protect themselves.
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