Japan grapples with changing face of juvenile delinquency in age of social media

TOKYO - Social media is changing the face of juvenile delinquency in Japan, allowing teenagers to form groups beyond their schools and organise stunts targeting police, sometimes filming their exploits to share online.The trend has raised concerns among the police and educators, with experts warning that adults do not fully understand how children use the internet, as juvenile crime figures rise again after decades of decline.In the early hours of June 4, the roar of revving minibike engines echoed outside a police station in Kasugai in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan.When officers stepped outside, they found six teenagers riding in pairs on three minibikes, repeatedly passing the station. The youth hurled raw eggs at officers and a patrol car before speeding away.The practice of provoking police and then fleeing is known as “Poli-Oni”, a combination of the words “police” and “oni-gokko”, the Japanese game of tag.Six teens, aged 15 to 16, were arrested on suspicion of obstructing official duties in connection with the Kasugai incident by August, with some telling investigators they were chasing a thrill.Similar incidents have recently been reported in Miyagi and Hyogo prefectures in recent years, including cases in which juveniles threw firecrackers into police boxes. Videos posted on social media platform TikTok show young people being pursued by patrol cars, with the clips labeled “Poli-Oni”.According to senior Aichi prefectural police officials, social media has enabled youths from different schools to connect and form groups, making it increasingly difficult for adults to monitor their activities.“In the past, we could keep an eye on groups of children at individual schools and spot signs of delinquency,” an official at a local board of education said. “Now we don’t know who they’re mixing with or what they’re getting up to.”According to the National Police Agency, the number of juveniles against whom the police took action for Penal Code offences fell steadily from a peak in the 1980s to a record low of 14,818 in 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic.But the figure has since risen for four consecutive years, reaching 24,416 in 2025.The number of children under 14 taken into police custody or given guidance over delinquent behaviour also rose for five consecutive years, from 5,086 in 2020 to 9,178 in 2025.Children under 14 cannot be held criminally responsible in Japan.Kazuo Takeuchi, a University of Hyogo professor who previously worked as a junior high school teacher and student guidance coordinator, warned that adults have failed to grasp how easily even young children can access online content that could lead to criminal behavior.He called for a system to crack down on videos and other content with a high risk of encouraging criminal activity, as well as those responsible for posting them.But child welfare workers caution that restricting children’s access to social media alone will not address the underlying problems.An official at a child consultation center in Aichi said some young people who struggle to find a sense of belonging at home or school are drawn to delinquent groups through online connections.At the same time, social media can provide a valuable source of friendship and support for children who feel isolated.“Simply imposing age restrictions or limiting the time children spend online won’t solve the fundamental problem,” the official said.Asato Takasaka, head of the Aichi-based nonprofit support centre for the prevention of reoffending, stressed the importance of children having multiple connections with trustworthy classmates and local residents who are not involved in criminal activity, even if those relationships are only casual. KYODO NEWS