YouTube, WhatsApp and TikTok topped the list of mobile applications most used by children in Egypt during the first eight months of 2026, according to an analysis by Kaspersky of young users’ interests and online activities. The applications accounted for 29.2% for YouTube, 20.5% for WhatsApp and 18.4% for TikTok, while Instagram ranked fourth at 7.2%.
The analysis covered the websites and services visited and used most frequently, along with security risks associated with platforms that enable direct communication. Discord, a platform for communication and community building, was among the top ten online resources used by children in Egypt.
Social platforms open the door to multiple risks
Kaspersky says that children’s presence on messaging services and social platforms is not limited to interacting with friends, as they may also communicate with people they have not met in the real world. Malicious individuals may exploit this interaction to deceive or pressure a child, or obtain personal photos and videos, potentially arranging offline meetings or later using the materials for blackmail.
This pattern is known as online grooming and, alongside phishing, remains one of the most prominent threats facing children. Abusers may also try to push them toward harmful or illegal activities.
Deepfakes add a new dimension to bullying
The analysis also warns about the use of generative artificial intelligence in cyberbullying, particularly through images and videos modified or created using deepfake technologies. Although this type remains less widespread than traditional forms of cyberbullying, Kaspersky points out that images, videos and information published online can be reused to create fake content that harms a child’s privacy and digital reputation.
In practical terms, this changes the scope of the problem: content posted by a child or their family does not necessarily remain within its original context and may become material that can be repurposed for digital abuse whose spread is difficult to control.
What should parents do?
Andrey Sidorenko, head of Kaspersky’s Online Child Safety Department, said that basic safety rules in the real world also apply to the digital environment. Recommendations include not communicating with strangers, not sharing personal photos or sensitive information, and not hiding concerning conversations from the family, while encouraging children to turn to a trusted adult when they feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
Saif Allah Jadidi, Kaspersky’s head of consumer channels in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa, also called for building healthy digital habits, thinking about the content children share publicly, and using parental-control tools, including the Kaspersky Safe Kids solution.
Why does this news matter?
The figures show that protecting children in Egypt must keep pace with their actual use of platforms rather than being limited to general warnings about the internet. The spread of video, messaging and social services expands opportunities for learning and interaction, but it also increases points of exposure to grooming, fraud and bullying. The source does not provide independent measurements of the scale of these attacks or their incidence rates, so the results should be read as an analysis of platform usage and a security warning from Kaspersky, not as a comprehensive estimate of the level of risk faced by all children in Egypt.