The number of children under 18 in Japan who became victims of crime in 2025 after engaging on social media rose by 80 from the previous year to 1,566, marking the first increase in six years, the National Police Agency announced. The Mainichi Shimbun answers some questions readers may have about the rise in crimes against children linked to social media.

Question: Did the number also increase for students in elementary school?

Answer: The figure for elementary school students increased by 31 to 167, the highest since statistics began in 2008. The number has also doubled from the 83 victims recorded four years ago.

Question: Which social media platforms or apps were most used by victims?

A: The most common were Instagram, used in the case of 36 children, and TikTok, used by 30. It was also confirmed that children were victimized through apps popular among teenagers, such as ZEPETO and Parallel.

Q: What were the ages and genders of these elementary school students?

A: Among victims in elementary school, 57 children were aged 12, 71 were 11-year-olds, 25 were aged 10, and there were 7 each for 9- and 8-year-olds. Of the victims, 160 were girls and 7 were boys.

Q: What types of crimes were most common in such cases?

A: The most frequent crimes were indecent assault, involving 55 victims, child pornography, involving 45 victims, and rape and related offenses, involving 24 victims.

Q: What kind of people were the perpetrators?

A: Regarding the relationship between victims and perpetrators, 65 cases involved classmates or students from the same school, accounting for about 60% of the total.

(Mainichi)