Should parents be held responsible for the crimes

of their children?
24 Answers

Kristen K Hernandez, lived, laughed, loved, lost and learned

Answered May 9, 2018 · Author has 194 answers and 276.3k answer views
Originally Answered: Should the parents of teenagers be held responsible for crimes the teens commit?
If the parent contributed to the crime; say, by allowing the child to have alcohol or drugs
prior to the child’s commission of the crime, as in a drunk driving accident; or, by allowing a
child to have firearms when/if that child is of “high risk” status (depressed, bullied, suicidal,
psychopathic/sociopathic, or other mental imbalance or mental health issue; prior arrests;
violence with animals + eneuresis + fire starting) - when / if that child then shoots up a
school or commits a violent crime using said firearms.

If, however, the parent is trying as hard as the school and community resources are trying,
to keep the child under control, out of harm’s way, and out of trouble, and the child
continually repeats high-risk behaviors (taking drugs, engaging in gang activities, even
being truant to school) - then I think we have to support the parents, not punish them. If the
child needs to be removed from the home for the parents’ safety, as well, then it needs
doing.

There’s a lot wrong with this world. Let’s not artificially inflate the stress we’re already
under as parents, by adding new stigmas to the difficulties we all face. I’m pretty sure that
the only parents who will suffer from laws of this type, are parents who work two jobs just to
get by. The rich parents in their mansions are not going to get caught up in this dragnet. It
seems to me just another way to blame people for their circumstances and fill the jails and
prisons with people who shouldn’t be in there at all.
Cybercrime: protecting children from online
abuse and exploitation
9 July 2015 - Fast-paced technological innovation and widespread accessibility of information and
communication technology (ICT) have transformed societies around the world. Children in
particular have unprecedented access to computers and mobile technologies, and have in recent
decades tended to adopt these from an early age, resulting in ICTs becoming thoroughly
embedded in their lives. Although the exploitation of children is not a new phenomenon, the
digital age has exacerbated the problem and created more vulnerability to children.
With the aim of gaining a better understanding of the problem and the challenges posed by it,
UNODC recently published a Study on the Effects of New Technologies on the Abuse and
Exploitation of Children. The document is based on open source research as well as the work of a
UNODC Informal Expert Group Meeting on the subject, convened in Vienna in 2013. This meeting
brought together experts from international organizations, law enforcement, specialists on the
subject and members of academia.
A number of international legal instruments require States to take measures to protect children
from abuse and exploitation, as well as engage in international cooperation in the investigation
and prosecution of child abuse and exploitation crimes. A lack of consistent and appropriate
legislation across countries globally, however, remains a major impediment to successful
investigations and prosecutions. Individual states vary considerably in their definitions of child
abuse and exploitation, and often cannot move fast enough to enact laws that keep pace with
technology.
To address these challenges, the Study covers the main forms of ICT-facilitated child abuse and
exploitation, including the creation and distribution of child pornography, plus the commercial
sexual exploitation of children, cyber-enticement, solicitation and grooming, cyber-bullying,
cyber-harassment and cyber-stalking; as well as exposure to harmful content.
This Study, one of UNODC's tools to help states prevent and combat cybercrime, is accompanied
by a package of technical assistance which includes law enforcement and judicial training,
activities for improved international cooperation and awareness raising tools.
Cyber space is a world of virtual reality and has become an integral part of our daily lives. It is
a world in itself. It is a library of its own kind which can be accessed from anywhere and
everywhere. It provides information on almost each and every subject. Information can be
accessed by just clicking on the mouse. You can play games, read newspapers, watch movies,
read books, chat with friends using social interworking sites, search jobs, search places and
much more. It has made our life so easy. You can even buy things online without physically
visiting the shop or a market. With the increasing use of advance technology, a new type of
crime has emerged which is known as cyber crime.

What is Cyber Crime?

Cybercrime is a criminal activity done using computers and the Internet.
Earlier crimes were committed by the criminals when they were physically present at the place
of occurrence but now the cyber criminals can commit crime from anywhere in the world. A
large number of cyber crimes are committed these days which are described herein:

 posting of obscene photographs

 child pornography
 online theft of personal data
 sending fake e-mail messages to get personal information,
 misusing personal information
 Inciting religious feeling of hatred
 Online theft,
 fake financial transaction etc.
In a report published by the National Crime records Bureau (NCRB 2011) the incidence of
cyber crime has increased by 85.4% in the year 2011 as compared to 2010 in India, whereas the
increase in offences pertaining to IPC is by 18.5% as compared to the year 2010. Maharashtra
has emerged as a centre of cyber crime with maximum number of incidence of registered crime.
It is seen that most of the offenders arrested for cyber crime cases are children who are in the
age group of 18 to 30 years only.

Cyber crime and child abuse

Children are the most vulnerable sections of society and are easily exploited in the cyber world
due to lack of majority level in them. These days it is seen that even sexual exploitation of the
children has started online. The offenders chat online with young children by wrongly
stating/representing their age and lure them towards sex. With these latest technologies it has
become very easy for the criminal to contact children. Children are easily exploited by online
criminals not only because of their age and majority but also as they heavily rely on networking
sites for social interaction. Offenders use false identities in chat room to lure victims for
personal meetings. This leads to child abuse and exploitation such as trafficking and sex
tourism. The child never knows the person with whom he or she is chatting. It is only when they
happen to meet each other in person that they see an old man in their 40’s or 50’s with whom
they were chatting and realize their mistake. Many children commit suicide when their offensive
pictures are posted online. Children often avoid telling their parents about this mistake which
causes further more trouble. The victims of online exploitation are forced to live with their abuse
for the rest of their lives. It also affects the overall mental development of children. Children
often unknowingly or deliberately share personal information without realizing that by just
 forwarding this message they can be made to suffer penal charges. Facebook photographs,
whatsapp messages are uploaded and shared by children without knowing the gravity of things
and the impact that will it have on their future.

We all understand the need of protecting children in the real world but it is equally important
for all parents and elders to protect their children from online threats. As a parent you can play
an important role in protecting your children against Cyber Abuse. It is high time for parents
and elders to take an active role in sharing with your kids about the use and abuse of cyber.

To nab an offender in a cyber crime case is not an easy task as the offender can commit this
crime from anywhere in the world. These days the offenders are using high end technologies and
in order to take hold of them we need the help of cyber cell police station.

Cybercrime & Children in the

Digital Age
Online predators and privacy are some of the biggest issues parents are
grappling with as cyber crime goes beyond online and moves to take over
personal life.

Fast-paced technological innovation and easy accessibility of information

and communication technology (ICT) have transformed our societies. The
current generation has unprecedented access to computers and mobile
technologies, as they have adopted it from an early age. With the advent of
the digital age the exploitation of children is on the rise thereby making
them more vulnerable.

Norton by Symantec has released the findings from its Norton Cyber
Security Insights Report which reveals parents have great concerns about
their children in the online world. Perpetrators always look for new ways to
evade technological solutions with new tools which makes it necessary for
increased cooperation between industry, law enforcement, NGOs and
government.

Some of the key findings from this report show that:

 54 percent worry their children will give out too much personal information to strangers
 21 percent parents are concerned about their children being lured into meeting a stranger in the
outside world

 51 percent believe what their children will post today will come back to haunt them in the future

 The Norton Cybersecurity Insights Report reflects consumer attitudes from more than 17,000 people
surveyed in 17 countries, including 1000 people in India.
Children in the Digital World
According to a study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) on behalf of the
Telenor Group, in India approximately 100 million children will come online
by 2017. Despite government’s strict norms that prohibit children under 13
from joining the social-networking site, nearly 76 percent of children ages 7
to 13 visit ‘YouTube’ daily in tier-I and tier-II cities and a vast majority (75
percent) of the parents of 7-13 year-olds are aware of their child for signing
up for the YouTube site. Social media is another area which has high
concentration of children.

In 2013, the Delhi High Court observed that India is way behind when it
comes to online protection of children and changes in online safety-related
policies and implementation of digital literacy programs in schools have
been moving at a snail’s pace.

The policymakers are quite active when it comes to cybercrime but the
debate on online child protection is fragmented. According to a survey by
Assocham, 65 percent of kids under 13 use social media sites like
Facebook and Twitter.

Lack of Digital Literacy

“Children in India are in the highest risk category due to increased access
to smartphones and affordable internet which makes them the weakest link
in the family’s online security,” says Ritesh Chopra, Country Manager,
Norton by Symantec.

It is the parent’s responsibility to talk to children about their internet habits.

Also, it is necessary to monitor their activity and have rules around their
internet use.

Compared to global average, Indian parents worry more about their

children online presence.
Define Boundaries
Online behavior and real world behavior are one side of the same coin.
Parents should set rules about when and for how long children can remain
online, the websites they can visit, and how to treat people online. They
should also be aware about all the privacy filters for safe browsing.

On privacy
Parents should make sure that their children are not sharing sensitive
information online with someone they don’t know. Online etiquette is
necessary and children should be groomed early about the implications of
reckless online behavior.