At least 20 million children across 10 countries are already using artificial intelligence (AI), with adoption rates more than three times higher than those of adults, according to new estimates released by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The findings highlight AI's rapidly expanding role in children's daily lives, from education to emotional support. UNICEF estimates that 13 million children use AI to assist with schoolwork and homework, while around 2 million children approximately one in 10 users, turn to AI for advice about personal worries and concerns.

"AI is here. It is a growing part of all of our lives," UNICEF said in a statement, noting that the technology is already shaping childhood "for better and for worse."

While AI is creating new opportunities for learning, creativity, and access to information, UNICEF cautioned that its long-term effects on children's cognitive development, emotional well-being, and online safety remain largely unknown.

"In effect, a generation is growing up inside a global experiment," the agency said, warning that evidence on AI's broader societal impact is only beginning to emerge.

The survey also found that children are increasingly aware of AI-related risks. Around one-third of respondents expressed concerns about AI being used to facilitate scams or spread misinformation, while one in four feared that their images or videos could be manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes.

UNICEF argued that children are often among the first to experience the consequences of poorly governed AI systems despite having little influence over how these technologies are designed or how their personal data is collected and used.

Ahead of the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance, UNICEF is urging governments, regulators, and technology companies to place children's rights at the centre of AI policy. The agency has called for stronger safeguards against AI-enabled exploitation, increased research into AI's impact on child development, greater transparency in AI systems, enhanced digital literacy programmes for children and parents, and broader digital inclusion to prevent an expanding AI divide.

UNICEF said decisions made today on AI governance will have lasting implications for children's safety, privacy, well-being, and equal access to future opportunities.