Youth Drug Issues... "Seek Help Anonymously via SNS"

First Nationwide Interactive Youth Drug Reporting Channel
Anonymous and Easy Access Without Requiring Personal Information

On December 1, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it has launched the nation’s first anonymous counseling channel for youth based on social networking services (SNS) among all local governments. This initiative aims to address the issue of drug use among adolescents, enabling counseling or reporting without the need to disclose personal information.

The channel is named "Seoul Online Youth Drug Concern Together TALK" (Seomatalk). Based on KakaoTalk Open Chat, users can join the chat room simply by accessing the link, without any registration or identity verification.

Trends of Drug Offenders Under 19 Years Old from 2018 to 2024 (Unit: Persons) and Status of Drug Distribution Correction Requests by Channel from 2020 to 2024 (Unit: Cases). Supreme Prosecutors' Office and Korea Communications Standards Commission

The Seoul Metropolitan Government noted that, alongside the recent increase in youth drug offenders, 97.5% of drug distribution channels have shifted to SNS platforms.

Seomatalk is an anonymous, interactive counseling and reporting channel that fully guarantees anonymity and non-face-to-face communication. Users can search for Seomatalk, Seoul Youth Drug, or ConcernTogetherTALK on KakaoTalk Open Chat to access the service. The key feature is that it provides a digital pathway for adolescents who may hesitate to speak about drug-related issues to seek help.

If a youth requests treatment or counseling through Seomatalk, they will be connected to the relevant agencies or departments. The Seoul Metropolitan Special Judicial Police will review reports submitted via Seomatalk through chat-based communication. If the report falls under their jurisdiction, they will initiate an investigation, and if any violations of the Narcotics Control Act are confirmed, the case will be referred to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency for a cooperative investigation.

The city will also collaborate with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to promote the service. Kim Hyunjung, Director General of the Civil Affairs Judicial Police Bureau, stated, "We will relentlessly pursue and hold accountable those who induce, lure, or coerce youth into drug use for profit," adding, "Through Seomatalk, we will strengthen a recovery-oriented support system that connects counseling, investigation, and treatment, and do our utmost to protect young people."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.