From "light job, high salary" invitations to fraud traps
The cyberspace is becoming the main "access point" for bad actors to target adolescents with seemingly harmless invitations such as "light job, high salary", "no need for experience", "be taken care of for food and accommodation", "working for a few days and getting millions of dong". However, behind those attractive promises are a series of serious risks, even related to forced labor or human trafficking.
Tuyen Quang Provincial Police said that Tan Tien Commune Police have just coordinated with functional forces of Hanoi City to find and bring 2 teenagers who ran away from home looking for work back to their locality safely.
Previously, in the early morning of April 4, Tan Tien Commune Police received a report from the family about 2 children T.V. M. (born in 2009) and S.V. H. (born in 2010) suddenly leaving home for unknown reasons. Through quick verification, functional forces determined that the 2 children were on a passenger car moving to Hanoi to find work according to the introduction of a stranger on social networks. Immediately, the Police coordinated with the bus company and forces in Hanoi to organize interception, successfully search and bring the 2 children back to their families.
On April 2, Canh Tan Commune Police, Cao Bang province also received a report about T.H. L (born in 2011) being seduced by strangers to go to Hanoi to work with a high salary.
Immediately after receiving the information, the police force urgently verified. At about 7 am on the same day, child T.H. L got on a car and left the locality. The commune police quickly coordinated with the car company, determined that the child's journey was heading towards Thai Nguyen and requested support to bring the child back. After that, the child was brought back to his family safely.
Dr. Dao Trung Hieu - a criminology expert - believes that parents need to pay special attention to unusual changes in children's behavior. These may be children hiding conversation content, changing account passwords, texting at night or appearing distant sentences such as "I want to go far", "this place is not suitable for me", or "someone is waiting for me elsewhere".
Children can secretly prepare personal belongings, hide small luggage, or draw a vision of a "good future" far away, even without a clear plan. In many cases, they are psychologically affected by spreading fear or drawing attractive visions to motivate their decision to leave.
According to Mr. Hieu, when children show signs of being separated from the family, reducing communication with friends or suddenly becoming attached to a stranger online, parents need to be immediately vigilant and have measures to check and provide timely support.
The first "vacine number" of children
One of the issues raised is the responsibility of families and schools in managing and orienting children to use smart devices and social networks. In the context of children accessing the internet more and more early, considering phones as a tool to "keep children silent" is potentially risky.
Dr. Dao Trung Hieu emphasized that digital devices are a double-edged sword. If there is no supervision and guidance, parents themselves may unintentionally create conditions for bad actors to approach their children. Therefore, families need to establish clear rules on the time of use, applications allowed to be installed, as well as a mechanism for periodic checks on children's online activities.
He believes that it is impossible to generalize between "respecting privacy" and "complete closure". For children under 16 years old, privacy needs to be accompanied by the right to be protected, in which the guiding role of parents is a key factor.
From a management perspective, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga - Deputy Director of the Department of Mothers and Children (Ministry of Health) - emphasized the role of parents in accompanying their children in adolescence. According to her, protecting children in the online environment is not only the responsibility of functional agencies but also requires the active participation of each family.
Ms. Nga emphasized that parents are the first "digital vaccine" to help children identify risks and protect themselves in cyberspace. She also noted that children have rights but come with responsibility; content creators need to adhere to ethical standards, putting children's safety first.
In the context of rapid technological development, child protection needs to be implemented synchronously from policies, education to family and society. When all parties join hands, the digital environment will be truly safe and healthy for children to develop.
