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 Grand Hotel Taipei on Saturday confirmed that its information system had been illegally accessed and expressed its deepest apologies for the concern it has caused its customers, adding that the issue is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau. The hotel said that on Tuesday last week, it had discovered an external illegal intrusion into its information system. An initial digital forensic investigation confirmed that parts of the system had been accessed, it said, adding that the possibility that some customer data were stolen and leaked could not be ruled out. The actual scope and content of the affected data
DO THEY BITE IT? Cats have better memories than people might think, but their motivation is based entirely around the chance of getting fed Cats can remember the identity of the people who fed them the day before, Taipei-based veterinarians said on Friday, debunking a popular myth that cats have a short memory. If a stray does not recognize the person who fed them the previous day, it is likely because they are not carrying food and the cat has no reason to recognize them, said Wu Chou Animal Hospital head Chen Chen-huan (陳震寰). “When cats come to a human bearing food, it is coming for the food, not the person,” he said. “The food is the key.” Since the cat’s attention is on the food, it
A New York-based NGO has launched a global initiative to rename the nation’s overseas missions, most of which operate under the name "Taipei," to "Taiwan Representative Office (TRO)," according to a news release. Ming Chiang (江明信), CEO of Hello Taiwan, announced the campaign at a news conference in Berlin on Monday, coinciding with the World Forum held from Monday through Wednesday, the institution stated in the release. Speaking at the event, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Jie (黃捷) said she believed this renaming campaign would enable the international community to see Taiwan
TOO DANGEROUS: The families agreed to suspend crewed recovery efforts that could put rescuers in danger from volcanic gases and unstable terrain The bodies of two Taiwanese tourists and a Japanese pilot have been located inside a volcanic crater, Japanese authorities said yesterday, nearly a month after a sightseeing helicopter crashed during a flight over southwestern Japan. Drone footage taken at the site showed three bodies near the wreckage of the aircraft inside a crater on Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, police and fire officials said. The helicopter went missing on Jan. 20 and was later found on a steep slope inside the Nakadake No. 1 Crater, about 50m below the rim. Authorities said that conditions at the site made survival highly unlikely, and ruled
RSS