The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday that children are adopting artificial intelligence (AI) technologies at rates more than three times faster than adults, citing new data from 10 countries.
"AI is here. It is a growing part of all of our lives. And it is already shaping childhood around the world – for better and for worse," UNICEF said in a statement ahead of the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
The agency estimated that at least 20 million children have used AI, with more than two million more, or one in 10, saying they turn to it for advice on things that worry them.
An estimated 13 million children said they use AI to support their learning and homework.
"Children are more exposed to AI systems – including how they are designed, their underlying business models, and how their own data is used – yet have far less power to avoid or challenge them," the statement said, adding that children "feel the effects of weak governance first and will live with the consequences the longest."
UNICEF said a third of children in the 10 countries surveyed reported concerns about AI being used to scam and trick others or spread misinformation, while a quarter feared having their images or videos manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes.
"Too many systems are reaching children with no guardrails – safety, seemingly, an afterthought," the agency said.
UNICEF called on governments, the private sector, and partners to embed child rights in global AI governance, including by investing in research on AI's risks to children, strengthening laws against AI-enabled sexual exploitation, ensuring safe and transparent AI design, building AI literacy, and closing the digital divide.
"This is a decisive moment. The choices made about AI now will shape children's safety, privacy, well-being, and their equal access to opportunities for decades to come," UNICEF said.
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