More than one-third of underage social media users in South Korea have been asked by strangers to exchange photos, videos or engage in video calls, a study showed Wednesday, urging stronger platform responsibility to prevent the spread of sexually exploitative content.
According to the Korean Women’s Development Institute, in a 2024 survey that polled 352 minors aged 14 to 18 nationwide, 36.6 percent reported receiving such requests, while 26.7 percent said they had experienced sexually explicit conversations.
The findings are part of a study on ways to prevent the online spread of sexually exploitative material involving children and adolescents, conducted by Jung Yeon-ju, an associate research fellow at the institute.
“In the digital environment, children and adolescents remain exposed to risks of sexual extortion,” Jung said. “Such material tends to continue spreading even after deletion through duplication and redistribution.”
The report stressed that current responses focus largely on removing or blocking content after it has been reported, while platforms’ preemptive detection and intervention measures remain limited.
It also noted that algorithm-driven systems can accelerate the spread of such content once it appears online, underscoring the need for preventive action.
“Post-response measures centered on deletion and blocking have clear limitations in preventing harm,” Jung said. “A shift toward proactive prevention, stronger platform accountability, and public-private cooperation is needed.”
forestjs@heraldcorp.com
