Investigation of Children Driven to Crime in the Context of Social Media

Abstract

Today, social media is an important risk factor that causes children to be dragged into crime. Children who are exposed to violent, sexual, and criminal content frequently encountered on social media run the risk of accepting such behavior as normal. Because children have not completed their sociological, psychological, and physical development and have unlimited internet access, they are also likely to encounter crime on social media platforms. While they can be the subject of the crime as a victim, it is also possible for them to be the actor of the issue as the one dragged into the crime. Therefore, social media literacy should be given importance in primary school age and children should be taught self-protection skills. In addition, while new types of crimes such as cyberbullying, cyber harassment, and online sexual abuse are regulated in the law, they should also be redefined in terms of HSEs. It is common today that the mental health of children who encounter negative content on the internet is negatively affected and they turn to crime. By Article 2 of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Implementation of the Juvenile Justice System adopted by the United Nations, it is underlined that children involved in crime should be treated differently from adults in the current legal system. For this reason, it would be beneficial for public and private institutions and organizations to produce projects for family counseling services to better raise children, who are the most important members of the family, which is the basis of society, and for directing children prone to crime to education and training activities, which is one of the best activities to be implemented within the scope of social crime. Social media, which provides easy access to all kinds of information, may make it easier for children to get involved in crime. However, social media can also be used to prevent children from falling into crime with positive content, awareness campaigns, and support networks. In this context, in our study, we examine the security measures that need to be taken to prevent children from being dragged into crime and to ensure their adaptation to social life. At the same time, while emphasizing the importance of the criminal system and judicial processes specific to children, we argue that media actors, social media managers, and those responsible for management and supervision should assume social responsibility by considering the best interests of children. Our study aims to examine this issue not only from a legal perspective but also in terms of social benefit and preventing children from turning into a risk group in the future, by using various disciplines.