16-year-old Mane Hakobyan from the Armenian Newsroom reports on new government measures to improve digital protection for young people
Representatives of the Armenian government, UNICEF and civil society groups met in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, in early March to address risks to children in the digital space. The event presented a new national study, ‘Disrupting Harm in Armenia’, and called for stronger coordination between state institutions, educators and technology actors to improve child protection online.
The study, published in December 2025, highlighted the scale and impact of online abuse. Children who experience digital sexual abuse are significantly more likely to suffer severe psychological distress, with the report indicating a sharply increased risk of suicidal ideation.
One in 20 children in Armenia aged 12–17 experienced tech-facilitated sexual abuse in the previous year.
More than 71% of cases happened online, primarily through social media and messaging platforms. Higher risks were identified on apps popular in Armenia such as Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and particularly Telegram.
More than half of the victims did not tell a soul because they were scared of judgement, shame and concerns related to family ‘honour’.
The study also challenged the common assumption that threats come primarily from strangers, finding that in 57% of cases the perpetrator was someone known to the child, such as a peer or acquaintance.
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The Armenian government outlined a series of measures aimed at strengthening child online safety at the March meeting.
These include plans to update school curricula for the 2026–27 academic year, introducing digital safety education alongside improved reporting tools. This approach mirrors countries such as Australia, which has integrated comprehensive digital citizenship and ‘eSafety’ frameworks into its national education system.
Officials are also drafting laws to mandate the labelling of AI-generated content and deepfakes to prevent disinformation. A broader legal roadmap aims to criminalise AI-facilitated abuse and strengthen data protection to prosecute the unauthorised use of a person’s digital likeness.
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The reforms are expected to feed into updates to Armenia’s criminal code, targeting offences such as online grooming and sextortion – a form of blackmail where someone threatens to share intimate images unless their demands for money or further content are met.
Alongside legislative efforts, support systems are being expanded. CyberChat, an online platform providing 24/7 support for children and adolescents, was launched in August 2025.
The platform was developed by UNICEF and CyberHUB-AM, a specialised digital security organisation that offers cybersecurity support, problem solving and safety audits for journalists, NGOs and activists, while also leading national initiatives on digital safety.
In its first month, CyberChat received hundreds of requests, highlighting the demand for confidential support services. Usage increased further during the WhatsApp security breachin early 2026, when CyberChat became a key resource for users seeking to secure their accounts.
Officials say the next phase will focus on improving national reporting systems, expanding digital literacy programmes and strengthening cooperation between agencies. The integration of new research into policymaking is expected to play a central role in shaping Armenia’s response to emerging digital threats.
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