In the course of Safer Internet Day, more than 800,000 children globally can expect to experience some form of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation or abuse.

According to a statement on Monday, the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute estimates that over 300 million children are affected annually by this pandemic, equivalent to about 10 cases every second or nearly 830,000 cases per day.

The group, hosted by the University of Edinburgh, said this points to a problem that is more widespread than other major childhood public health problems like asthma and obesity.

It can involve unwanted sharing of photos, deepfake images and sexual extortion – forever altering young lives, stated the child rights organisation. But while it is prevalent in every country, “it is measured, and it continues to grow, it is preventable, not inevitable,” it added.

Childlight COO Zoe Lambourne said, “Now is the time to shift to a prevention-focused approach that stops child sexual exploitation and abuse before it begins, saving children from irreversible harm rather than scrambling to deal with the terrible consequences.

“The world has come together before to prevent harm on a comparable scale, as with COVID-19 and HIV/AIDs. We must do so again with urgency because children can’t wait.”

Childlight highlighted that accurate data “must be the foundation of a preventative approach” to understanding the scale and nature of the problem, the risk factors and drivers, and what interventions can make a difference, ranging from education programmes to powerful legislation.

Evidence over the past decade has linked child sexual abuse to adverse mental health, physical health (including cancers, chronic disease and even early death), negative educational outcomes, and under-employment – harming children and wider society, the statement added.