The Ombudsman for Children has proposed that Finland should criminalise the possession and distribution of multimedia content which features violence against children.
The authority has submitted an initiative on the matter to the Justice Ministry, because the legal means to curtail such content online is currently lacking in Finnish law books, according to the Ombudsman.
Videos featuring acts perpetrated against children are increasingly circulating online, including very serious and brutal violence, the authority noted.
Recording and sharing videos portraying violence against a child is very damaging to the victims, according to the Ombudsman, Elina Pekkarinen.
Such violent images are in themselves harmful to the children who watch them, she added.
"Adults are often the perpetrators, but kids also describe [seeing] violence carried out against other children. Research has shown that children and young people use social media to idealise, portray and incite violence," Pekkarinen said.
In December of last year, it was reported that violent crimes committed by children under the age of 15 had more than doubled since 2014.
Legal consequences
The ubiquitous use of smartphones outfitted with cameras makes recording acts of violence easy to do. Videos can be easily shared, either via closed chat groups or public-facing social media sites.
Recordings that get shared are particularly humiliating for victims, according to the Ombudsman.
Pekkarinen added that being able to store or record violent videos without legal repercussions or consequences sends the wrong message both to children and adults.
"[Current laws on the books] can encourage the violence to spread on social media. At the same time, it leaves child victims of violence unprotected," Pekkarinen said.
She suggested that violent content should be criminalised just like child sexual abuse material is, as its possession is punishable by law.
Pekkarinen emphasised that she wants to avoid getting minors tangled up in the criminal justice system, and that their offenses should be dealt with by other means.