Easy Access and Lenient Punishments... The Problem of Indifference to Online Youth Crime

[Children in Crisis] ② Youth Crime Rampant Online

'Have Tried Online Gambling' 1% in 2015 → 2.4% in 2018
50% of High School Students Who Commit Online Violence Say "I Don't Think It's Wrong"

Teenagers are in danger. A significant number of perpetrators and victims of online sex crimes occurring almost daily are minors. The severity of juvenile crime is worsening day by day. Children leave home to form groups, which are being identified as hotbeds of crime. This article diagnoses the seriousness of youth crime in our society and seeks solutions.

A teenager engaging in 'Social Graph,' a new type of illegal online gambling. Addiction to illegal internet gambling among teenagers often leads to crimes such as theft and fraud. However, related government agencies and educational authorities are criticized for practically doing nothing, failing to recognize the seriousness of the situation. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The patterns and severity of juvenile crime online are steadily increasing. It has evolved from primarily using cyberbullying as a tool for 'group harassment' to now developing into 'violent crime.' Although technological advancements and the values of youth toward these technologies have rapidly changed, social systems have not kept pace with these changes. A representative example is that punishments for cybercrime remain very lenient.

According to the '2019 Cyber Threat Analysis Report' published by the National Police Agency this year, cybercrimes that occurred last year reached 180,499 cases. This is a 20.6% increase from approximately 149,604 cases the previous year and significantly exceeds the highest number in the past five years (153,075 cases). In particular, teenagers tend to be more easily exposed to such crimes because they are familiar with online environments such as the internet and mobile devices.

According to the '2020 Youth Statistics' released by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, 30.2% of teenagers are at risk of smartphone overdependence. The recent notorious N-bunbang (Nth Room) case also occurred through smartphone applications like Telegram. Crimes that were once mainly offline have now shifted their stage to online.

The biggest problem is cyber gambling. According to the 'Youth Gambling Problem Survey' conducted by the Korea Center on Gambling Problems, the percentage of enrolled students who reported having engaged in cyber gambling in the past three months increased from 1% in 2015 to 2.4% in 2018. The number of youths who received counseling for cyber gambling addiction also rose from 308 in 2016 to 1,027 in 2018, tripling in just two years. Unlike the legal gambling industry, which requires strict procedures such as adult verification, there are no clear regulations like age restrictions, making it easy for youths to access. Moreover, recently, some have begun to lure youths into cyber gambling using bait such as sexually exploitative videos.

Cyber violence among youths remains a serious social problem. Even without physical harm, cyber violence can spread rapidly and can be continuous regardless of place or time, resulting in a much wider range of victims. Since the late 2000s, cyber violence has steadily increased, but many juvenile offenders avoid punishment simply because they are minors.

As a result, many cyber violence perpetrators do not recognize the seriousness of their actions. According to the 'Study on Types and Countermeasures of Youth Cyber Violence' published by the Korea Institute of Criminology, 49.5% of high school students who committed online violence responded that they 'do not think they did anything wrong.'

Experts argue that strict punishment is necessary for cybercrime regardless of age.

Professor Oh Yoon-sung of the Department of Police Administration at Soonchunhyang University stated, "While teenagers' access to digital devices is improving, adults who should manage and supervise them have not kept up with this pace, leading to an increase in online crimes among children. Investigations and punishments for online crimes should not be left solely to the police or investigative agencies; instead, private cyber experts should be utilized, and reporting systems for ordinary citizens should be activated to respond actively."