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KARACHI: Artificial intelligence is reshaping online abuse in Pakistan, outpacing existing safeguards, and children are increasingly being targeted, according to the latest annual report on the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) helpline.
The report warns of an alarming increase in incidents involving minors, including children as young as six, alongside growing evidence that generative AI is accelerating the scale, speed and anonymity of digital harm.
“We are entering a phase where AI is rapidly escalating harm,” DRF Director-General Nighat Dad said, warning that the confluence of emerging technologies and weak protection systems risks normalizing abuses that are “automated, amplified and difficult to escape.”
While the numbers themselves are grim, the report suggests that the deeper crisis lies in the inadequacy of existing systems.
Despite 79% of cyber harassment cases being referred to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), access to justice remains uneven and often remains beyond the reach of justice. Survivors outside of large urban centers often face long travel distances and procedural hurdles. Specifically, 892 complaints were received from cities without NCCIA offices.
In this environment, the scale of complaints continues to grow. In 2025 alone, the DRF helpline recorded 3,012 new cases and 776 follow-up investigations, including 2,586 cases of cyber harassment. This brings the total number of cases disposed of since 2016 to 23,032.
The increase in cases involving minors is particularly worrying. Following the sharp increase in the previous year, such cases increased by a further 28% in 2025, reaching 159 reported cases. The report notes that although younger children make up a small proportion of all complaints, children aged 6 to 9 face serious risks, including online grooming, sexual abuse and digital exploitation.
Women continue to bear the brunt of online abuse, with 1,709 cases reported compared to 1,279 for men, and are disproportionately affected by forms of violence facilitated by technology, including non-consensual sharing of intimate images, intimidation and sextortion. The helpline also received complaints from other high-risk groups, including 94 journalists, 52 human rights defenders, 24 individuals from religious and ethnic minorities, and 159 minors.
The architecture of online platforms also remains central to the unfolding of abuse. Messaging and social media services, specifically WhatsApp, alone accounted for 34% of incidents, but together with Facebook and Instagram they accounted for 53% of complaints, down from 57.4% a year ago. Features such as disappearing messages and “see-once” media continue to complicate efforts to document harm and seek accountability.
While Punjab accounts for nearly 70% of reported cases, significantly fewer reports from regions such as Balochistan, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan indicate that gaps in awareness, infrastructure and access persist.
The helpline has also expanded its international footprint, with 75 complaints received from 30 countries on six continents.
The report calls for urgent reforms, including strengthening law enforcement capacity, improving reporting systems for minors, integrating psychological support services, strengthening data protection laws and investing in digital literacy. It also calls on social media platforms to prioritize trusted reporters and improve AI moderation for local context.
