DIGITAL LIFE

Abuse of minors and child pornography on social networks continues to increase
The Judiciary Police, through its National Unit to Combat Cybercrime, opened, in the last year alone, 64 surveys focused on the approach and grooming of children through social networks. The information was given by Inspector-in-Chief Carla Costa in an interview with TSF of Portugal, stressing that although parents feel that their children in the bedroom are safe, they may be exposed to sexual predators, "being more exposed and abandoned than were on the street, "he says.
According to the publication, Facebook and WhasApp are platforms with more cases registered and used for prolonged blackmail to victims. Often young people do not realize that on the other side is not someone their age, but an adult. Carla Costa stresses that once in possession of compromising images, these predators blackmail young people, demanding more photographs and videos of a sexual nature.
Although some situations are eventually detected by the parents of the children and reported to the authorities, some of the sexual abuse and dating even happens. The Chief Inspector points out that there is a clear lack of parental guidance in the use of the internet, revealing that some situations begin with a simple lie, such as the true age of the child. This fact is complemented by the complicity of the parents, who recognize this lie, not respecting the minimum age for registration in the social network.
To have a Facebook account, children need to be at least 13 years old and at WhatsApp 16 years old, prompting parents to allow their children to register on social networks, most often to facilitate communication with each other. The problem is in the lack of control in the use by the minors. Carla Costa points out that sometimes a simple conversation and warning of the dangers can be effective, but above all, parents should use the tools of parental control to follow the research and history of what children do on social networks. Mundophone