A New Look at `Internet Predators’

With the explosion of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, parents will be well-served by reading this article on the results of a new study about “Internet predators.”

There were several points I found to be surprising. The article lead-in provided the first:

Contrary to stereotype, most Internet sex offenders are not adults who target young children by posing as another youth, luring children to meetings, and then abducting or forcibly raping them, according to researchers who have studied the nature of Internet-initiated sex crimes.

Rather, most online sex offenders are adults who target teens and seduce victims into sexual relationships. They take time to develop the trust and confidence of victims, so that the youth see these relationships as romances or sexual adventures. The youth most vulnerable to online sex offenders have histories of sexual or physical abuse, family problems, and tendencies to take risks both on- and offline, the researchers say.

Intriguing that young people seem to be, for the most part, completely aware of the adult status of those with whom they’re engaging in these relationships. This causes me to wonder how aware the young people are that it’s illegal for these adults with whom they’re interacting to engage in sexual activity with them? It would seem that children over the age of 10 or so should be cognizant on some level that this is neither appropriate nor legal behavior for an adult. It seems that the dysfunctions in the family itself erode the effectiveness of the warnings children receive regarding contact with strangers, something that sociologists and behavioral psychologists ought to note.

Another surprising revelation:

[…]in spite of public concern, the authors found that adolescents’ use of popular social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook do not appear to increase their risk of being victimized by online predators. Rather, it is risky online interactions such as talking online about sex to unknown people that increases vulnerability, according to the researchers.

“Most Internet-initiated sex crimes involve adult men who are open about their interest in sex,” Wolak said. “The offenders use instant messages, e-mail and chat rooms to meet and develop intimate relationships with their victims. In most of the cases, the victims are aware that they are talking online with adults.”

“A majority of the offenders are charged with crimes such as statutory rape, that involve non-forcible sexual activity with adolescent victims who are too young to consent to sexual intercourse with adults,” she added.

These are intriguing insights. Children face much the same risks as adults do in Internet activities, but with presumably much less awareness of the value of their personal privacy. This make them particularly vulnerable to predators when combined with the family dysfunctions mentioned above.

In conclusion, here are more words of wisdom from the study’s author:

“To prevent these crimes, we need accurate information about their true dynamics,” said Janis Wolak, lead author of the study. “The things that we hear and fear and the things that actually occur may not be the same. The newness of the environment makes it hard to see where the danger is.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.