Girl and child rights groups Plan International Pilipinas and Consuelo Foundation have raised alarm over the growing threat of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled online abuse targeting children, as they convene lawmakers, technology companies, youth leaders, and civil society groups for a Safer Internet Day Celebration on February 24.
The organizations warned that rapidly evolving AI tools capable of generating hyper-realistic images, videos, and voice recordings are increasingly being weaponized to exploit, harass, and extort minors online. These include AI-generated sexual images, deepfake content, impersonation scams, and more sophisticated grooming tactics that are harder for parents and authorities to detect.
Studies show that one in two children has experienced some form of online violence, while seven out of ten girls report online abuse. With AI tools lowering the technical barriers to producing manipulated sexual content, advocates caution that children—particularly girls—face heightened risks of image-based abuse, cyberbullying, impersonation, and online blackmail.
The National Coordinating Center Against OSAEC-CSAEM also noted that reported cases remain far below the likely scale of abuse happening nationwide.
“We cannot allow innovation to outpace the safeguards that have protected children for generations. Through the Safer Internet Day Celebration, we are calling for a collective shift—one that strengthens collaboration among government, tech companies, communities, and families. Digital safety is a shared responsibility. It calls for ‘Smart Tech’ that prioritizes child protection and ‘Smart Choices’ from all of us to create safer online spaces for them,” said Pebbles Sanchez-Ogang, Executive Director of Plan International Pilipinas.
The Safer Internet Day Celebration, titled “Beyond the Feed: Safeguarding Girls, Children, and Young People in AI-Driven Digital Spaces,” aims to move beyond awareness toward practical solutions, including stronger reporting systems and built-in safeguards.
“What happens on our screens has real-world consequences for our children. ‘Beyond the Feed’ is not just a theme; it is a call to look past the algorithms and see the human cost of unchecked technology. Consuelo Foundation is proud to stand with Plan International Pilipinas to ensure that digital spaces are built to nurture young people, not exploit them,” Dr. Mariella Castillo, Managing Director of Consuelo Foundation, said.
