Analysis of supreme court decisions on crimes committed by children via digital networks

With the widespread use of the internet and social media today, the time individuals spend in digital environments has increased, leading to various legal issues. Individuals of all ages, including children, teenagers, and adults, are actively participating on social media platforms, but they can also become victims or perpetrators of crimes committed through these platforms. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the rate of crimes committed through social media tools and websites. These crimes are classified as direct cybercrimes or indirect cybercrimes. The fact that these crimes are committed by adults, against children, by children against adults, and even among children has become a significant problem for digital security. This study examines direct and indirect cybercrimes committed by children, such as fraud, unlawful access to data, insults, threats, blackmail, violations of privacy, and sexual abuse, committed through digital networks such as online shopping sites, online banking sites, and social media, within the framework of Supreme Court decisions. The scope of this research consists of decisions accessible on the Court of Cassation Decision Search website, as well as decisions from the Criminal Chamber and the General Assembly of Criminal Chambers in a special case law program. These decisions were limited to 34 Court of Cassation decisions dated between 2016 and 2025 concerning crimes committed by children on digital networks. Using the "Document Analysis" method, a qualitative research method, the selected decisions were examined in detail, described, and themes were created. Based on the identified themes, the subjects of the crimes, types of crimes, crime locations, courts, court decisions, and Court of Cassation decisions were analyzed using the Maxqda (2024) coding technique. This research aims to examine how crimes committed by children aged 12-18 against children or adults on digital platforms occur, which types of crimes are common, who is victimized by these crimes, and what legal sanctions children face. It also aims to identify additional legal and social measures that can be taken to prevent these crimes and reduce victimization. As a result of the study, the results of the analysis of 34 Supreme Court decisions examined in terms of six main themes and subthemes were discussed, the effectiveness of existing legal regulations was evaluated, and recommendations were presented to prevent children from committing crimes online and to reduce the risks they face.