Police have been notified of a case in which a junior-high school student used online dating apps on her mobile phone to meet and have sex with 30 men over a six-month period.
The 15-year-old girl, identified by the nickname Wen Wen (玟玟), lived with her father after her parents divorced.
According to a police statement, Wen Wen began using dating apps on her smartphone in June last year. She did not reveal to other users that she was a junior-high school student.
She would write: “I am alone and so bored. Let’s meet up,” police said, adding that upon meeting other users she would accept their offers to go to their homes or to motels and have sex, mostly at locations around Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli counties.
The girl’s father only recently discovered his daughter’s activity and reported the case to police.
The girl is now in the care of a social welfare organization.
When asked by police why she engaged in such activities, she reportedly said: “Because I have got nothing else to do.”
Thirty men were questioned by police. All of them said they did not know the girl’s age.
One 25-year-old man surnamed Lo (羅) had sex with her for four straight days, according to police.
He was quoted by police as saying that he thought Wen Wen was a senior-high school student, to which one police officer reportedly said: “Even if she was in senior-high school, she is still under-aged. You should feel ashamed.”
The men are charged with offenses against sexual autonomy.
Article 227 of the Criminal Code outlines prison terms of up to seven years for adults who have sex with minors, male or female, aged from 14 to 16.
Experts said that the prevalence of smartphones and apps have increased the chances for under-aged boys and girls to be harmed by online scams or sexual predators.
End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes secretary-general Lee Li-feng (李麗芬) said it was not suitable for a youngster not yet in high school to have unguided use of a smartphone.
“It is important to set a bottom line. They can have mobile phones, but they should not have Internet connections. Internet connection should only be allowed if the child has the ability to discern good information from bad and good self-control. Parents must be vigilant to ensure children do not gain access to pornography or apps that can grant communication access to strangers,” she said.
Children who are addicted to online dating and having sex were mostly from problem families or those lacking parental guidance, she added.
One in five students in Taiwan aged between six and 11 have smartphones, according to information from the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission.
Taiwan Alliance for Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare secretary-general Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華) said computers and mobile devices are too readily available to children, which made it much easier for them to meet people online.
For those without family supervision and who crave friendship, there is a very high risks of falling victim to sexual crimes, Yeh said.
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