A Tainan man surnamed Lai has been enticing elementary school students to send him provocative photos of themselves with promises of video game points or Pokemon. If the children refused, he threatened them and said he would go to their school to find them or send videos and photos to their parents. Prosecutors say the man had around 30 victims.
This man, surnamed Lai, was arrested after prosecutors found dozens of pornographic photos and videos of children on his phone. Lai enticed at least 30 children to send him photos or videos with promises of video game points or Pokemon.
There are many victims, both young boys and girls. The parents had no clue what was going on and no police reports have been filed. We plan to prosecute him for violations to the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act.
Smartphones and social media have invisible risks for children. The Child Welfare League Foundation says parents need to teach their children to be more vigilant online as well as how to protect their privacy online. For example, account names should not be shared and location services should be turned off. Personal information and media like names, phone numbers, addresses, photos, school, and grade should also be kept private.
Don't blindly believe things people tell you online, and don't meet up with online people, especially alone. Don't accept gifts from people online, especially if they want to meet up with you in person to give it to you. Gifts include physical items, but also things like video game points or Pokemon.
The foundation is also calling on the government to implement harsher penalties for violations of the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act as well as repeat offenses. The foundation says offenders should be given counseling and mandatory treatment in prison and inmates should be evaluated by legal or child protection experts before release to protect the safety of any children they may come into contact with in the future.