Of these, there were 419 calls reporting child abuse activities online. The Department of Children helped handle 21 cases directly. The numbers show an urgent warning about the issue of protecting children from harmful online information today.

In the first 4 months of 2023, calls to the National Child Protection Hotline 111 related to school violence increased by 11% compared to the same period last year. Statistics through the cases handled, verified and resolved by the police also show that the trend of child abuse in 2023 will increase compared to 2022. Along with that, the situation of children being abused on The network environment is still complicated.

In fact, surveys and monitoring by the National Assembly's Ethnic Council in some mountainous provinces also show that for ethnic minority children, there are four major challenges and risks today. First, the Internet and social networks have given rise to many online video games that are violent and pornographic, especially toxic products.

Along with that is the complicated development of crimes in the cyber environment. Second, the development of technical barriers to prevent abuse for children in the online environment has not really received enough attention. The third challenge, propaganda, dissemination, legal education, skills to prevent and combat child abuse online and on the internet and social networks, has not received much attention.

And currently, most rural and mountainous areas are areas with particularly difficult economic conditions and are the areas with the greatest potential risk of children being abused online.

Mr. Dang Hoa Nam, Director of the Department of Children, Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, said that the cause of the above consequences is because children are greatly affected by internet technology and the network environment.

Currently, the internet usage rate among children from 12 to 17 years old is very high, accounting for 93% in urban areas and 88% in rural areas. Of these, 89% of girls use the internet. In particular, 98% of children's access through smartphones accounts for 98%.

One of the dangers affecting children is the spread and leakage of children's privacy and personal information in the online environment. In particular, it is parents who share information and images freely and without control on social networks, which can also lead to many negative effects for children.

Previously, UNICEF sounded a warning about issues related to the impact of artificial intelligence, including ChatGPT, on children, and the protection of children in cyberspace.

Currently, the Vietnamese legal system has legal regulations to contribute to protecting children's safety and preventing abuse against them in cyberspace. In particular, the Prime Minister has issued the Program to Protect and Support Children in healthy and creative interactions in the online environment.

Therefore, an important 'shield' to protect children in cyberspace is, on the one hand, maintaining and continuing to improve legal policies, in addition to urgently educating, communicating and improving legal policies. awareness for children and teenagers, from which they can identify and distinguish and protect themselves in the online environment.

Hai Van