A record number of minors were abused after making contact with unknown adults on social media, a new report from the National Police Agency has stated. The report cited 1,421 recorded cases of children aged 17 or less falling victim to crime through their use of social networking services (SNS) last year, the highest number since the NPA started taking statistics in 2008.
Nearly 80 percent of those minors became victims after using their smartphones. Of the total, 1,329 children or 93.5 percent, were victims of violations of laws concerning child prostitution and pornography. The rest became victims of felony crimes such as murder and rape.
More and more of the minors were contacted via messaging services such as Line, which accounted for 439 crimes, up 87 from the previous year. Others were involved in crimes initiated through online dating sites. The online dating site regulation act, which aims to protect children from underage sex initiated through online contact, was enacted in 2003 and updated in 2008. However, that act needs continual updating just to stay ahead of the rapid changes in technology, as well as the upturn in violations and crimes.