Police data showed that 70 percent of last year’s reported child sexual exploitation cases featured online activities, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, urging better parental oversight.
Citing National Police Agency data, Department of Protective Services Director-General Chang Hsiu-yuan (張秀鴛) told a news conference that 50 percent of the alleged perpetrators were underage.
Posting sexual images of the victim without consent accounted for 90 percent of child sexual exploitation incidents believed to be perpetrated by children, Chang said.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
About 50 percent of children who use social media do not know that an account’s privacy settings can be changed, she said, citing a study by Taiwan Fund for Children and Families.
These figures underscore the importance of parents monitoring children’s engagement with social media, Chang said.
Taiwanese children’s engagement with the Internet rose from 3.17 hours per day to 3.96 hours per day over the past four years, while the average age of first exposure to the Internet dropped from 8.7 years to 7.1 years, she said.
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION
In addition to posing a potential risk to child safety, arguments over the use of electronic devices were the precipitating incident for 16 percent of incidents in which a child suffered corporal punishment, Chang said.
Citing research by Childlight last year, ECPAT Taiwan member Chen Shih-ying (陳時英) said one in eight children in the world have experienced Internet-enabled sexual exploitation, including human trafficking, privacy violations and harassment.
Red flags for online predators include adding or following children with whom they have no relationship in real life, broaching inappropriate subjects in conversations, and demanding personal information, photographs or videos, Chen said.
Asia University vice president Ko Hui-chen (柯慧貞) said studies in Taiwan and the US have shown that device usage is linked to increased risks of depression and suicide in young people.
The studies also suggest that decreasing social media consumption is correlated with better mental health, Ko said.
Teachers and parents should work together to moderate children’s exposure to the Internet, promote media literacy and provide children with more emotional support, she said.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Parent-child relations therapist Wang Ching (王晴) said the best way to teach children to use the Internet responsibly is by example.
Although parents should not ban the use of devices outright, they must be firm in imposing limits and never replace babysitting with tablets or phones, she said.
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