Online predator
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2008-07-05T14:34:23Z
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An '''online predator''' is an [[Internet]] user who exploits vulnerable people, usually for [[sexual]] or [[financial]] purposes. Most internet sex offenders are young adults who target people who are usually younger in age.<ref name="myths">{{cite journal |last= Wolak |first= Janis |authorlink= |coauthors= David Finkelhor, Kimberly J. Mitchell, Michele L. Ybarra |year= 2008 |month= Feb-Mar |title= Online "predators" and their victims: Myths, realities, and implications for prevention and treatment |journal= [[American Psychologist]] |volume= 63 |issue= 2 |pages= 111–128 |id= |url= http://www.unh.edu/news/cj_nr/2008/feb/lw18internet.cfm |accessdate= 2008-04-21 |quote= |doi= 10.1037/0003-066X.63.2.111 }}</ref>
[[Adolescents]]<ref name="myths"/> and the [[elderly]] are most often the victims of online predators. Some experts recommend not providing personally identifiable information such as a name, password, [[phone number]], address or [[credit card]], or even [[Social Security number]]s,<ref>{{cite web| last =| first =| authorlink =| coauthors = | title = Online Safety Rules For Kids| work =| publisher = [[FEMA]] For Kids| date = | url = http://www.fema.gov/kids/on_safety.htm| format =| doi =| accessdate = 2006-12-08 }}</ref> though providing personal information is not usually associated with being targeted by Internet child predators.<ref name="myths"/> Prepubescent children are not often targeted.<ref name="myths"/>
Online victimization of minors can include requests to engage in sexual activities or discussions by an adult; unwanted exposure to sexual material (opening junk mail with naked pictures, etc.); online harassment, threats or other aggressive communications that are not sexual in nature but cause distress, fear or embarrassment <ref>"Snyder,H;Sickmund,M:Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 2006 National Report",p38. National Center for Juvenile Justice, March 2006</ref>.
While [[chat room|chat]] and [[instant messaging]] are most often used by online predators, they also appear in other places. For example, [[MySpace]] has been accused of attracting online predators.<ref>{{cite web| last = Williams| first = Pete| authorlink = Pete Williams| coauthors =| title = MySpace, Facebook attract online predators| work =
| publisher = [[MSNBC]]| date = [[2006-02-03]]| url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11165576/| format =| doi =| accessdate = 2006-12-08 }}</ref> A 2007 study, however, found no cases of minors being targeted by Internet predators on the basis of information they had posted on social networking sites.<ref name="myths"/>
Software which attempts to monitor computer activity has seen some popularity with parents concerned about Internet predators.<ref>{{cite video| people = [[Donna Rice|Donna Rice Hughes]]| title = Answers from an Internet safety expert| medium = [[Internet]] | publisher = [[MSNBC]]| location = [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14823618/ Answering parents' frequently asked questions] | date = }}</ref>
==Statistics==
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children funded a study by the Crimes Against Children Resource Center in 2006 of youth Internet users over a five year period. They found:<ref>WOLAK, J; Mitchell, K; Finkelhor, D: “Online Victimization of Youth: 5 Years Later”, page 1, CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN RESEARCH CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, 2006.</ref>:
*An increase in encountering unwanted exposures to sexual material (from 25% to 34%)
*An increase in cases of online harassment (from 6% to 9%)
*A decrease in those receiving unwanted sexual solicitations (from 19% to 13%)
*40% of all youth Internet users said online solicitors asked them for nude or sexually explicit photographs of themselves.
*Only a minority of youth who had unwanted sexual solicitations, unwanted exposures to sexual material, or harassment said they were distressed by the incidents.
*One-third of the solicitations (31%) were aggressive, meaning the solicitors made, or attempted, offline contact with youth.
The validity of these statistics has been questioned.<ref>[http://interviews.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/02/26/1322248 Spreading "1 in 5" Number Does More Harm Than Good], [[Slashdot]], Feb 26, 2008</ref>
==References==
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== External Links ==
*[http://eukidsonline.net EU Kids Online]
[[Category:On-line chat]]
[[Category:Criminals]]