'Internet Predator' Stereotypes Debunked?
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 new a new study by the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.
The bulk of online sex offenders are adults who target teens and seduce victims into sexual relationships. They take time to develop the trust of victims, so the youth see the relationships as romances or sexual adventures, according to the analysis published in the new issue of American Psychologist, the journal of the American Psychological Association.
This topic was front-and-center in the 109th Congress when the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a series of hearings on Internet-related crime during which members heard testimony from a host of government officials, industry experts and other child advocates.
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, researchers said. The study was based on three surveys -- two involving phone interviews of 3,000 Internet users between the ages of 10 and 17 and one involving 612 interviews with federal, state and local law enforcement officials.
"To prevent these crimes, we need accurate information about their true dynamics," lead author Janis Wolak said in a press release. "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."
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, the study showed.
Additionally, researchers concluded that educational efforts focused on discouraging children from giving out or posting personal information online, warning about deception on the Internet, and urging parents to monitor their children's Web surfing habits may not be effective. Wolak and her colleagues said more effort should be directed at helping teens realize the inappropriateness of romantic relationships with adults.
Read more about the study here.
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