A/69/264 89. Most children do not report being bothered or upset by going online, and most risks are encountered by a minority of children. But when harm arises, the impac t on a child can be devastating, especially as multiple forms of abuse and exploitation can take place simultaneously or be committed against the same victim over time. 90. Risks may be associated with online content, for instance when the child is exposed to violent or racist messages, or child abuse images; they may constitute contact risks, e.g., through harassment or grooming; and risks of conduct, when the child generates or disseminates harmful content, bullies or promotes hostile peer activities. 91. Violent content. The Internet harbours a vast range of material that, while not necessarily illegal, is potentially harmful to children and young people. Many children are particularly concerned about violent, aggressive or scary online content, including images of physical violence, torture and suicide, descriptions of war and atrocities, domestic abuse and violence, and cruelty to animals. 92. Hateful or otherwise harmful material. Easily accessible material available on the Internet may encourage, tacitly or explicitly, harmful attitudes and behaviour among children and adolescents. This includes information that promotes hate and discrimination on the basis of race, religion and sexual orientation, or that contributes to the hypersexualization of children. Children’s exposure to online information that addresses suicide, eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, dangerous games that put life at risk, and drug use are additional reasons for concern. 93. Child sexual abuse and exploitation. ICTs have significantly facilitated the production, distribution and possession of child abuse images and, with rapidly developing technology, perpetrators are growing in numbers while child victims face increased harm. 94. The magnitude and scale of child abuse images on the Internet has reached an unprecedented level, with many individual offenders in possession of millions of such images. This is facilitated by the rise of mobile “smart” phones, while encrypted networks allow sex offenders to share child sexual abuse materials undetected, bringing added challenges to criminal investigations and prosecutions. 95. Tourism development and information technologies are also enhancing children’s vulnerability to sexual abuse, including by making remote areas more accessible to tourists. The increased use of live video streaming of sexual abuse of children is another emerging trend, allowing families with cheap Internet access and computer equipment provided by travelling offenders to make money by streaming video footage of their very young children. There is also a rise in cases of children lured with money or gifts by preying offenders who entice children to share photos of themselves. 96. Young victims are often the target of these practices. According to the Unite d Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, between 2011 and 2012 there was a 70 per cent increase in child sexual abuse material focused on girls under the age of 10 years, and abuse material involving toddlers or babies is not uncommon. Once online, child abuse images can circulate indefinitely, alongside the risk of perpetuating victims’ harm. The circulation of such images contributes to the hypersexualization of children and in turn fuels the demand for sexual abuse material. 18/23 14-58801