The European Union is concerned about the opportunities and safety of children on the Internet

EU implements a new strategy to empower, protect and empower children online. Meanwhile, minors are becoming … dealers in hardcore child pornography.

The new European strategy is based on three main directions, designed to create a safe Internet for children, improve digital services, and ensure children’s rights online.

The modern reality is the daily use of their smartphones by children from an early age. With the help of gadgets, they study, communicate with friends, have fun. But it is no secret that the undoubted benefits are accompanied by significant risks, including malicious or age-inappropriate content, disinformation and other dangerous information.

Among the three pillars of the new European strategy to create a better and safer internet for kids:

1. A safe digital experience to protect children from harmful and illegal online content, harmful and illegal behaviors and risks, and to improve their well-being, create a safe and age-appropriate digital environment.
2. Empowering digital technologies so that children acquire the necessary skills and abilities to make informed choices and express themselves safely and responsibly online.
3. Active engagement, empowerment of children in the digital environment, hosting child-led events to promote innovative and creative safe digital technologies.

This, of course, is good, but, probably, a little late – there are already plenty of skills in children and adolescents. However, as they say, better late than never. A recent MEGA investigation uncovered shocking facts: Underage rape materials are trafficked by minors. The investigation comes amid the arrest of a 43-year-old pedophile from Drama for possession of 2.5 million child pornography files. And that’s what journalists managed to find out.

Minors become traffickers of child pornography, distributing photos and videos in the dark world of the internet. Manolis Sfakianakis says:

“We see minors owning child pornography videos and selling them to others. Either to minors or adults, using marketing well. Teenagers are tech-savvy and easily find ways to get into the dark web. The numbers are terrifying: the amount of child pornography in the past 10 years has increased by 6000%! Behind these figures are children locked in rooms, sometimes chained, who expect violence every day and every minute … There are mothers who give birth to children only to sell them and get a certain amount. Often they they do it under pressure, they are simply forced to give birth to children, who then … disappear without a trace, according to Interpol data.

The demand for child pornography is growing every year, demanding more and more wild and explicit material. Some people are willing to pay thousands and tens of thousands of euros to “enjoy” live sexual abuse of children, even babies, while sitting at home on a cozy sofa.

Such “live video” costs from 3,000 to 40,000 euros per hour. The price depends on the age of the child being bullied. The most “demanded” and expensive videos with children of three, six, nine months (!). Ten- and twelve-year-olds are not as interesting, so materials with their participation are worth less.

The algorithm of actions of criminals, recalls newsbeast.gr, well known – fake social media profiles, gaining confidence, asking for photos and even making appointments. Behind the pornography dealers, as a rule, are ordinary-looking people who are beyond suspicion. Successful, respectable, often living next door, and caringly, sparing no expense, feeding the monster that lives inside them…

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