China News Network, May 5 -- The Supreme People's Procuratorate held a press conference on May 31, and Na Yanfang, director of the Ninth Procuratorate Office of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, said at the press conference that in recent years, juvenile cybercrime has mainly shown the following new characteristics and new trends:
First, the crime of minors suspected of aiding information network criminal activities has increased significantly. From 2020 to 2022, the number of procuratorial organs who concluded (including prosecution and non-prosecution) of minors suspected of aiding information network criminal activities was 236, 3001,5474, and 2022,82, respectively, an increase of 4.<>% year-on-year in <>. Because this crime is a misdemeanor with a maximum statutory penalty of three years' imprisonment, the number of minors suspected of this crime is relatively not prosecuted by the procuratorate and conditionally not prosecuted, but its predicate fraud crimes are often highly hidden, cross-border, and have huge amounts, causing serious harm. Therefore, how to prevent minors from becoming "tool people" for information network fraud activities is an important topic for preventing and reducing juvenile cybercrime.
Second, there are many types of minors suspected of cybercrime. It can be roughly divided into online fraud, gambling, drug-related, hacking, game-induced crime, live broadcast induced crime and other types. With the help of online platforms and cyberspace, some minors engage in online fraud, some disseminate obscene materials, some sell or buy contraband such as laughing gas and drugs through the Internet, and some use online social tools to carry out bullying, extortion, picking quarrels and provoking trouble.
Third, the carriers for the implementation of juvenile cybercrimes are diversified. Online games, online dating, online star chasing, online gambling, platform live broadcasting, etc., the diversification of network carriers, the inducement of bad information, and the vulnerability of minors have made some minors "ears and ears", increasing the possibility of online crimes and bringing new challenges to the prevention of online crimes among minors.
Na Yanfang pointed out that the main causes of juvenile cybercrime are as follows: First, minors are mentally immature. Most of the minors involved in the case lack social experience and education, especially legal knowledge, and are easily lured by small profits to go astray and participate in crimes. In particular, left-behind, single-parent, unemployed and idle minors lack a stable source of income, and are more likely to be pampered by "classmates, friends, and fellow villagers" and embark on the road of "making quick money".
Second, regulatory means cannot keep up with the rapid development of telecommunications network technology. Some cases have exposed obvious loopholes or even defects in the website supervision system, and the supervision capacity lags behind the level of technological development, while some online platforms disseminate extremely tempting bad information and even illegal and criminal skills and methods, laying major hidden dangers for juvenile delinquency.
Third, the intensity of punishment and crackdown needs to be strengthened. The cost of network violations and crimes is low, the benefits are large, the behavior is hidden, and it is difficult to collect evidence.
Na Yanfang said that in response to juvenile cybercrimes, the procuratorate has always adhered to the whole chain of upstream and downstream crimes, integrated governance of domestic and foreign crimes, and actively protected the legitimate rights and interests of minors while punishing juvenile cybercrimes in accordance with the law.
The first is to implement the criminal policy of combining leniency and strictness, focusing on punishing the illegal and criminal acts of adult criminals in the upstream - coercing, instigating, luring, and deceiving minors to participate in cybercriminal activities; At the same time, special procedures for criminal proceedings are strictly implemented, focusing on the better reintegration of juveniles involved in crimes into society and the prevention of recidivism. Adhere to the principle of "education first, punishment secondary", and in view of the proliferation of negative information on the Internet and the characteristics of Internet addiction, targeted correctional education is carried out for minors involved in crimes.
The second is to promote source prevention and treatment and form a comprehensive protection synergy. In response to issues of online regulation of minors in the process of handling cases, coordinate and urge relevant departments to truly perform their duties by strengthening prior prevention and social governance, and block crimes in multiple ways.
The third is to strengthen the prevention of cybercrime, carry out "menu-style" education on the rule of law, "portrait" cybercrime routines, let minors increase their vigilance, enhance their awareness of preventing cybercrime, and build a solid psychological defense line.
In the next step, procuratorial organs will further strengthen coordination and cooperation with relevant departments, fully perform procuratorial functions, continue to adhere to the combination of lawful punishment and precise assistance and education for juvenile cybercrimes, and actively promote the improvement and improvement of relevant systems and mechanisms, strengthen attention to the use of the Internet by key groups of minors, and create a good environment for the healthy growth of minors.