The Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF) on Wednesday urged parents to take action to keep children safe online as the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increased use of the Internet.
Cases of the sexual exploitation of children and young adults appear to be on the rise, the TFCF said in a statement.
Between 2017 and last year, about 4,800 children and young adults were victims in such cases, it said, citing Ministry of Health and Welfare data.
Photo: Hung Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
Last year, 71.8 percent of cases of child and youth sexual exploitation were committed through the Internet, the TFCF said, citing ministry data.
From May 28 to June 10, the TFCF conducted an online survey regarding childcare during the pandemic, with responses collected from 2,323 parents of children under the age of 18, it said.
The survey showed that 92.1 percent of parents of elementary-school students said that the hours their child spent on the Internet each day increased while in-person instruction was suspended, the TFCF said.
Many popular social media platforms were not designed for use by children, many of whom sign up for accounts despite age restrictions, it said, adding that this puts children at risk.
Although elementary-school students comprised about 12 percent of victims in child and youth sexual exploitation cases between 2017 and last year, the increase in such crimes was also highest in cases where the victims were elementary-school students, the TFCF said.
Parents and children must be aware of the hidden dangers of the Internet, it said.
Parents should reach out to children about their habits related to Internet usage, TFCF Social Resources Department director Lin Hsiu-feng (林秀鳳) said.
They should also discuss Internet safety issues with their children and teach them rules to follow when using the Internet, she said.
The TFCF outlined five measures for parents to follow. They include discussing with children the hidden risks online, arranging agreements with children on their Internet usage, trusting and respecting children, understanding their preferences and being their friends, and turning on security settings to protect them.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS