Istanbul Gelisim University - Children using the Internet are at risk of abuse

Children using the Internet are at risk of abuse

The video channel called “Gerçek Hikâyeler (True Stories)” on Youtube, which is an internet video platform, has recently drawn massive reaction due to its inappropriate content.

The titles of the videos in the channel give the shivers. The titles of some of the videos prepared to attract the attention of children are as follows: “My father makes me beg for money in the street to get money.” “My parents left me to die in the hospital.” “I stole my sister's baby because she was a horrible mother.” “I bought myself a girlfriend.” “I adopt my father's illegitimate child.” “My boyfriend can't take his eyes off my mom.” The rating numbers of each of the videos prepared as animated cartoons vary between one hundred thousand and one million. The channel, contains many videos that are prepared as animations to attract the attention of children, has 516 thousand subscribers. It is estimated that children constitute a large part of the audience due to the fact that all the contents were prepared as animated films.

Following the growth of reactions to these content on social media, the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services made a statement that the videos on the Youtube channel were found to contain statements that violate the family and community pattern and that are against the general moral rules and contain child abuse, announced that an application has been made to the relevant institutions and the prosecution office.

Immediately after the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services, the General Directorate of Security announced that this and similar content affecting the psychosocial development of children is removed from the internet and is closed down the channels.

The report published by the Internet Watch Foundation in 2019 was examined 72 million websites worldwide. In this report, it was emphasized that the images constituting sexual abuse of the children were identified on 132 thousand 730 websites. The fact that 89 percent of the websites that contain child sexual abuse content are based in Europe attracted attention. The fact that 89 percent of the websites that contain child sexual abuse content are based in Europe attracted attention.

“INTERNET USAGE MUST BE SUPERVISED”

Mehmet Başcıllar, Lecturer at Istanbul Gelisim University Social Service Department, said in his assessment of the subject as follows: “The phenomenon of child abuse is handled with physical, sexual and emotional abuse aspects. The fact that internet usage is extremely common among children leads up to abuse to happen online. The danger on the Internet can often be ignored by caregivers. Our recent experiences have shown us how vital it is to control children's internet use by parents.”

“ONLINE CONTROLS MUST BE CONTINUED ON 7 DAYS 24 HOURS”

Continuing his assessments, Lecturer Başcıllar said: “In a study conducted with internet users in the USA, it was revealed that 47 percent of the participants encountered abusive content at least once on the internet. In order to be fully implemented the legal guarantees and the child's best interest principle given in the Convention on Children’s Rights, to which the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey and Turkey itself are also parties, not only the parents but also from the public institutions to the non-governmental organizations have great responsibilities. The online controls should be maintained 24/7 by multidisciplinary teams, including social workers and other professionals, to be created under the leadership of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services.”