Social media, dating apps: A playground for sexual offenders?

SHAH ALAM - Social media and dating apps have been found to be used by sexual offenders to get acquainted and trap victims, especially children.

As evidence, statistics released by the police recorded a total of 633 cases last year involving applications such as Facebook, Google, Instagram, Leomatch, Omi, Telegram, TikTok, WeChat, WhatsApp, Bumble, Litmatch, and Tinder.

Even more shocking, six cases were recorded involving sexual offences through acquaintances made in online games.

Bukit Aman's Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division's (D11) principal assistant director, Assistant Commissioner Siti Kamsiah Hassan said that studies conducted by her department, based on recorded cases, found that social media was used as a platform for offenders to seek out and identify victims.

According to her, perpetrators approach victims using aliases or fake identities.

"The suspects do not randomly target victims; instead, they identify their victims beforehand, learn about their activities and interests before establishing familiarity," she told Sinar in an exclusive interview recently.

She said that offenders work to gain victims' trust and comfort. Once trust was established, the perpetrator started to control the victim and engage in grooming, particularly leading to sexual activities involving children.

"After gaining that trust, the suspect will steer conversations from casual talks to discussions and sharing of sexual content, which eventually leads to a romantic relationship.

"Victims who begin to develop feelings will be controlled by the perpetrator to the extent of sharing sexual images or videos, such as nude photos. This is when the suspect starts threatening and blackmailing the victim," she said.

She added that the perpetrators’ modus operandi involves targeting victims who were highly visible on social media.

Most victims, she said, were between the ages of 13 and 16.

"It cannot be denied that there are cases involving children under 12, but they are few. This may be because children of this age are still under strict parental supervision, making it harder for perpetrators to meet and communicate with them," she said.

Meeting After Just One Hour

According to Kamsiah, in such cases, both the offender and the victim were newly acquainted.

"The modus operandi is grooming, and it can happen within an hour. If the victim is easily deceived, it depends on how vulnerable they are and their moral values.

"A meeting can be arranged as quickly as within an hour. Nowadays, it's easy—just send a location, and they can meet immediately.

"The first meeting usually involves something simple, like having a drink or watching a movie. It all starts with chatting and can lead to a physical meeting without knowing the perpetrator's background," she said.

She also noted that statistics indicate most offenders are above 18 years old.

"However, recently, there has been an increase in offenders who are under 18, including those in secondary and even primary school. Although the numbers are not drastic, there has been a yearly increase," she added.

Kamsiah emphasised that such cases were not only committed by adults but also involved children as offenders.

"We believe these cases are more individual-based rather than being part of a specific group or syndicate," she said.

Educating on Red Flags

Kamsiah stressed that parents must educate their children on religious values, manners, and restore the role of the family institution in their lives.

"In addition, children should also be taught about red flags or early warning signs if someone asks for anything sexual.

"If a person asks them to undress or anything similar, they must recognise that boundary. This clearly violates our cultural norms," she said.