Belsky explained the need to control the use of messengers by children

Due to the increased crime among children, it is necessary to monitor the use of messengers by children. Alexander Belsky, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, told Izvestia on June 3 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

Belsky stressed that a large number of sports schools, sections and clubs had been opened to involve children in social life. However, child crime in St. Petersburg increased by 45% over the year. At the same time, according to him, children spend most of their time in front of gadget screens.

"Mostly them (children. — Ed.) someone leads somewhere, that is, they participate in some kind of private chats, through messengers. So, of course, what can we do now? Limit their interaction with this messenger as much as possible, or take it under control as much as possible," Belsky said.

He also noted that the idea of not using phones by children in schools is being considered. At the same time, according to Belsky, this initiative is at an early stage, so it is worth paying attention to other ways of control. So, Belsky proposed to start preventing the use of gadgets in families.

"There are also restrictions on visiting certain sites, [there is] the possibility of monitoring the messenger. Parents can set parental controls, including on the amount of time that the child uses on the phone," he said.

On May 27, the UBK of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia reported that attempts to involve minors in illegal activities through psychological pressure continue to be recorded in messengers and online games. It is noted that the attackers offer teenagers to complete a simple task, for example, to transfer funds to purchase game currency, account access, or various bonuses. After the transaction, the criminals tell the child that his money was allegedly used to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) or finance other prohibited activities.