Miscellaneous Statistics (older archives available here)In 2024, NCMEC received nearly 100 reports of financial sextortion a day and since 2021, NCMEC is aware of more than three dozen teenage boys who have taken their lives as a result of being victimized by this crime. (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Cyber Tipline, 2024)
In 2024, NCMEC's CyberTipline saw a 1,325% increase in reports involving Generative AI, going from 4,700 last year to 67,000 reports in 2024. (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Cyber Tipline, 2024)
In 2024, NCMEC's CyberTipline received more than 1,300 reports with a nexus to a violent online group – a more than 200% increase over last year. ( Reports involving sadistic online exploitation by violent online groups that encourage children to harm themselves and others, including cutting; creating CSAM and sexually exploiting other children (including their own siblings); harming animals; committing murder; and taking their own lives.) (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Cyber Tipline, 2024)
1 in 17 minors reported having personally experienced sextortion. (2023 Trends in Youth Online Safety, Released August 2024), Thorn)
85% of U.S. teens say they play video games, and about four-in-ten do so daily. Bullying is a problem: 80% of all teens think harassment over video games is a problem for people their age. And 41% of those who play them say they’ve been called an offensive name when playing. (Teens and Video Games Today, Pew Research May 2024)
Digital online game platforms put adolescents at risk of exposure to uncontrolled digital advertising areas. Adolescents reported facing sexual content and embarrassing material in ads as well as abusive verbal content when playing online games. Advertising in the Digital Area: Playing Online Games Pose a Risk to Come Upon Improper Advertisements - PMC
Conversations with children on social gaming platforms can escalate into high-risk grooming situations within 19 seconds, with an average grooming time of just 45 minutes. Social gaming environments that facilitate adult-child intermingling, exchanging virtual gifts and public ranking systems, significantly increase these risks. (We Protect Global Alliance, Global Threat Assessment Report, 2023)
The more time kids spend using screens from ages 9 to 11 years old, the higher their odds of suicidal behaviors two years later, at ages 11 to 13. Specifically, each additional hour of screen time increased the risk by 9%. The risk was highest with texting, followed by video chatting, watching videos, and playing video games. (University of California San Francisco, March 2023)
Teenagers are spending more time on screens, and that activity is linked to depression and suicide-related behaviors. Depression and suicide rates for teens between the ages of 13 and 18 increased dramatically since 2010, especially among girls, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study identifies excessive use of electronic devices as a likely culprit. CDC statistics show the suicide rate increased 31 percent among teenagers from 2010 to 2015, while a national survey shows that the number of adolescents reporting symptoms of severe depression rose 33 percent.
