he proliferation of searching for an alternate item,
computer technology and but the statistic is very
emergence of the Internet telling.
has enhanced the lives of
children and adults. Increasing In many ways, the Internet has
productivity and efficiency, the made the predators job easier, as
Internet is a powerful the predators can hide behind
educational tool, and it provide pseudonyms and screen names. The
youths a vast amount of danger of the Internet is
information. That said, it is persistent and very real because
important to remember that the the Internet provides predators
Internet can also be very anonymity. Online victimization
dangerous. Criminals are using differs little from traditional
modern technology to prey on victimization that happens in
innocent victims. person, the process is
essentially the same. The
According to research, one in perpetrator uses information to
five youths, ages 10-17, were target a child. Often
approached online sexually or solicitation begins in the form
were sexually solicited. The tool of friendship, sharing hobbies
for the solicitation was the and interests. The predator then
Internet. In fact, 89% of those adapts the persona of who their
solicitations occurred via chat young victim wants them to be.
rooms or with predators using Online predators will often spend
instant messaging. Additionally, considerable time befriending a
nine out of ten children online, child. The predator builds a
ages 8-16, have viewed level of trust with the victim.
pornography online. In most cases
the children unintentionally No family is immune to the
encountered pornography while possibility that their child will
become an online victim. Older boundaries, and there is not a
children are at an increased centralized legal body regulating
risk, because they are often crime on the Internet.
online unsupervised. Teens or
adolescents, who are particularly Remember, physical contact
rebellious or searching for their between a child and perpetrator
identity, are often more does not necessarily need to
susceptible to Internet occur for a crime to have been
predators. committed. In many cases,
digitally explicit material is
Sadly, in almost all cases the emailed back and forth. Educating
interaction begins as a harmless our children is critical to
camaraderie and it evolves into keeping them safe.
inappropriate sexually explicit
conduct. Online crimes often If you are aware of an incident
transcend jurisdictional that involves child exploitation
boundaries, making it difficult via the Internet contact the
to prosecute or even track. And National Center for Missing and
while cross-agency support has Exploited Children at
been growing, its growth can not 800.843.5678.
keep up with the abundance of
online crime. The Internet has no
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.
Read more articles by:
S. Housley
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