Prostitution In Hong Kong 3

1.   "Compensated Dating"

1.   A typical Hong Kong "niche" market exploited by young, barely legal aged (just 16 and in some cases, illegally less than 16)  girls (and occasionally, boys trying to market themselves to "cougars" or gay men) that exploded with the availability of smart phone apps like WhatsApp and WeChat.

2.  Justified by the teens as

• an easy way to make pocket money after school "through modelling and companionship" and 
• to buy things they wanted; and
• they did not always have sex (but might talk about it or just touch themselves in the presence of another person); and
• they did not view themselves as prostitutes because they were going to school and therefore they were students who were simply looking for different company (which in reality was considerably older)

the phenomenon still exists, although it has gone underground after its initial media exposure.  It cuts across all socio-economic levels.  Mutliple WhatsApp and WeChat accounts by the same person means there is no way of telling how many kids are doing this.

3.  Whatever the euphemism, it amounts to prostitution.  It is illegal in Hong Kong.