Criminal Organizations Target Children on Social Media: Age of Criminal Responsibility Exploited

Internet Addiction and Brain Development Associate Professor Tuba Mutluer from Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, has issued significant warnings regarding the impact of the digital world on children.
Mutluer noted that children experiencing unhappiness, introversion, and a lack of self-confidence in real life often look to digital content as a model.
She emphasized that because their brain structures are not yet fully developed, children are unable to critically evaluate these digital illusions at a reality-based level.
Exploitation of the Age of Criminal Responsibility Mutluer pointed out that criminal organizations consciously exploit the age periods during which children lack criminal liability.
Referring to legal regulations in Turkey, she reminded that children under the age of 12 have no criminal responsibility, while those in the 12-15 age group are subject to special assessments.
Mutluer stated that organizations push children into crime by fostering the perception that "nothing will happen to you." Social Losses and Isolation Children who become involved in criminal networks often believe they are gaining status, but Mutluer highlighted that they actually suffer significant losses.
She noted that this process first detaches children from their family environment.
As school absenteeism begins and education is interrupted, friendships formed within criminal circles lead to exclusion from normal social environments and deep loneliness.
Mutluer added that portraying committed crimes as acts of heroism within these systems further reinforces children's commitment to criminal activity.