Recently, a case involving online sexual assault was pronounced in the Huaying City Court in Guang'an, Sichuan, where a man was sentenced to 7 and a half years in prison for luring 8 girls under the age of 8 to send indecent photos. The verdict in this case once again reminds us that online sexual assault has become a problem that cannot be ignored, and parents should strengthen online education and protection for their children.
It is understood that the man met the victim girl through social media, and took advantage of the girl's lack of involvement in the world and simple thinking to coax the girl to take nude photos and videos in the name of work. Although there was no direct physical contact with the victim girl, the man's actions already amounted to a serious assault on the girl. The court held that the man's conduct had the same social harm as the indecent act of actually touching the child's body, and should be found to constitute the crime of child molestation.
It is worth noting that the act of "indecency in the air" in this case is different from the traditional sense of physical contact indecency. Traditional physical contact indecency is easier to identify and combat, while "indecency in the air" is more concealed and often difficult to detect and collect evidence. This also makes some criminals use online platforms to coax and threaten minors to send indecent photos or videos by various means, seriously infringing on the physical and mental health of minors.
In response to this problem, parents should strengthen the education and protection of their children's networks. First of all, parents should educate their children to establish a correct concept of online dating, not to easily believe the sweet words and temptations of strangers, and to avoid private affairs with strangers