I would like to dedicate this thread to victims of online abduction. While I currently have none to post, I am a student working on a 15 week analysis on "Online Predators"...In case some of you aren't aware this is an ever growing problem. I have posted exerts from my rough draft which I hope to smooth out and create a whole site revolving around internet safety.
"
Prior to 1995, sexual predators would find their prey by seeking employment as scout leaders, priests, teachers, clowns, and even bus drivers. They would take advantage of their employment positions to observe and place themselves where children frequented. Some would look for predator networks to connect themselves with other predators. This would allow one predator to communicate with other predators and pass information to each other. They also lurked around playgrounds, parks, daycares, schools, and even our homes. Some would often follow children or rather stalk them on their way home from school or a friends house to locate their residence for future abductions
No longer do predators have to roam streets or sit patiently observing our children. They are already in our homes in front of our children and have been for years. What was once considered a local sex offender has morphed into what is now known as an Online Predator.
We as a society depend on curfews and strict rules to protect our children from predators. We hide in denial and lack to speak to our kids about the potential dangers of their actions online. As a society, we must acknowledge the severity of this growing trend. As parents, we must begin educating our children more and more on internet safety, the importance of giving out personal information, and define a sexual solicitation. Therefore, children can begin to understand when they are solicited, and how to report and log that activity. Many children each year are solicited online and do not realize the severity of the solicitation or the dangers behind meeting someone off the internet. No longer is telling a child not to talk to strangers or take gifts from them a preventative measure. We must ensure that they understand and are able to comprehend that predators will not always ask and they will lie about their age, locations, and character. They will attempt to please the child in any way shape or form to gain that aspect of trust needed.
Before the explosion of the digital age, predators were restricted to places of employment and places they knew children frequented. In the early years, a predator would have to plan abductions taking precautions to not be caught. Predators usually thought out their attempts for abductions and solicitations. They would observe areas common for children and the absence of parents. Usually predators employed careful observation of children that were easy targets, and marked some for future victims. Children walking home alone, playing away from the rest of the group, or even asleep in their own home were all potential prey. Now all a predator has to do is click connect and they are linking to billions of potential prey.
This is where predators can pull the wool over our childrens eyes, because they study teens, their habits, their language, and can reach them on levels that their own parents cannot. They can easily lie about their age, appearance, hobbies, family, friends, and often provide pictures of younger teens to support this. They are able to troll internet chat rooms often posing as teens without being detected. "
Some stats from my analysis:
- "At any given moment, there is an estimate of 50,000 predators online trolling the chat rooms for young victims for sexually solicition."
- "Since 2002, Internet usage among teens 13-17 years old has only rose 12%. While 38% more of children 6-8 years old are utilizing the Internet, we see a 30% increase in 9-12 year old usage. In that same year, one in five children were sexually solicited online. That means that an older adult approached them with explicit sexual questions or material. Usually these solicitations are not limited to questions about sexual experience, curiosities, child *advertiser censored*, and an attempt to gain personal information."
- "In the same year, statistics show one in thirty-three children were asked to meet with a stranger; spoke on the telephone to a stranger; or were sent money or gifts to their home address."
- "In a survey done with 1500 children, 55% of them admitted to giving out personal information online. While most teens may joke about meeting friends from the internet 10% of them admitted to meeting face to face with some one they met online. Amazingly, 25% of those surveyed saw nothing wrong with meeting a stranger online. Out of the children surveyed, only 8% of those children were willing to actually meet someone they spoke with online. Children often claim that strangers on the Internet are easier to talk to. They also do not recognize the potential lies that a predator can tell them regarding their age. They find it hard to comprehend that the thirteen year old they think they are talking to could actually be a forty-five year old sexual predator. What comes as more of a shock to parents, is that as many as 21% of those same children stated that after brief conversation, they believed the age of the stranger"
- "In recent studies, it shows that 52% of children prefer to be alone while using the Internet with 38% of parents allowing such privacy. Most parents allow teens to place their own personal computers in their rooms or allow the family computer to be isolated away from supervision. "
- "Only 17 % of youth and 10 % of parents could name a specific authority to report sexual solicitations. This list included reporting it to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, CyberTipline, or their Internet Service Provider "
What you can do to minimize the risk
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/children/kidpred.mspx#ERD
Report cyberstalking, Internet harassment, child *advertiser censored* and other cybercrimes here. Get help 24/7. Read the latest news about cyberstalking.
http://wiredsafety.org/index.html
iSafe (2005)
url: http://www.isafe.org
NCMEC (2005) . NationalCenter for Missing & Exploited Children
url: http://www.missingkids.com
"
Prior to 1995, sexual predators would find their prey by seeking employment as scout leaders, priests, teachers, clowns, and even bus drivers. They would take advantage of their employment positions to observe and place themselves where children frequented. Some would look for predator networks to connect themselves with other predators. This would allow one predator to communicate with other predators and pass information to each other. They also lurked around playgrounds, parks, daycares, schools, and even our homes. Some would often follow children or rather stalk them on their way home from school or a friends house to locate their residence for future abductions
No longer do predators have to roam streets or sit patiently observing our children. They are already in our homes in front of our children and have been for years. What was once considered a local sex offender has morphed into what is now known as an Online Predator.
We as a society depend on curfews and strict rules to protect our children from predators. We hide in denial and lack to speak to our kids about the potential dangers of their actions online. As a society, we must acknowledge the severity of this growing trend. As parents, we must begin educating our children more and more on internet safety, the importance of giving out personal information, and define a sexual solicitation. Therefore, children can begin to understand when they are solicited, and how to report and log that activity. Many children each year are solicited online and do not realize the severity of the solicitation or the dangers behind meeting someone off the internet. No longer is telling a child not to talk to strangers or take gifts from them a preventative measure. We must ensure that they understand and are able to comprehend that predators will not always ask and they will lie about their age, locations, and character. They will attempt to please the child in any way shape or form to gain that aspect of trust needed.
Before the explosion of the digital age, predators were restricted to places of employment and places they knew children frequented. In the early years, a predator would have to plan abductions taking precautions to not be caught. Predators usually thought out their attempts for abductions and solicitations. They would observe areas common for children and the absence of parents. Usually predators employed careful observation of children that were easy targets, and marked some for future victims. Children walking home alone, playing away from the rest of the group, or even asleep in their own home were all potential prey. Now all a predator has to do is click connect and they are linking to billions of potential prey.
This is where predators can pull the wool over our childrens eyes, because they study teens, their habits, their language, and can reach them on levels that their own parents cannot. They can easily lie about their age, appearance, hobbies, family, friends, and often provide pictures of younger teens to support this. They are able to troll internet chat rooms often posing as teens without being detected. "
Some stats from my analysis:
- "At any given moment, there is an estimate of 50,000 predators online trolling the chat rooms for young victims for sexually solicition."
- "Since 2002, Internet usage among teens 13-17 years old has only rose 12%. While 38% more of children 6-8 years old are utilizing the Internet, we see a 30% increase in 9-12 year old usage. In that same year, one in five children were sexually solicited online. That means that an older adult approached them with explicit sexual questions or material. Usually these solicitations are not limited to questions about sexual experience, curiosities, child *advertiser censored*, and an attempt to gain personal information."
- "In the same year, statistics show one in thirty-three children were asked to meet with a stranger; spoke on the telephone to a stranger; or were sent money or gifts to their home address."
- "In a survey done with 1500 children, 55% of them admitted to giving out personal information online. While most teens may joke about meeting friends from the internet 10% of them admitted to meeting face to face with some one they met online. Amazingly, 25% of those surveyed saw nothing wrong with meeting a stranger online. Out of the children surveyed, only 8% of those children were willing to actually meet someone they spoke with online. Children often claim that strangers on the Internet are easier to talk to. They also do not recognize the potential lies that a predator can tell them regarding their age. They find it hard to comprehend that the thirteen year old they think they are talking to could actually be a forty-five year old sexual predator. What comes as more of a shock to parents, is that as many as 21% of those same children stated that after brief conversation, they believed the age of the stranger"
- "In recent studies, it shows that 52% of children prefer to be alone while using the Internet with 38% of parents allowing such privacy. Most parents allow teens to place their own personal computers in their rooms or allow the family computer to be isolated away from supervision. "
- "Only 17 % of youth and 10 % of parents could name a specific authority to report sexual solicitations. This list included reporting it to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, CyberTipline, or their Internet Service Provider "
- "More teens admitted that they were more concerned about their peers online activities than their own. While other teens admitted to doing things online that, they did not want their parents to know about. "
"Parents should take the time to see where their children frequent and what information their children are allowing strangers to see. They should take the time to explain what a solicitation consists of and talk about potential internet dangers. They should explain what to and what not to report. They should explain that anything that makes the child feel uneasy or unsafe should be reported to their parents immediately as it happens and they should not close the im window or chat window so that parents can see what is going on."Thank You for taking the time to read this. Please talk to your children. TODAY
Some links for parents:
Online predators:
What you can do to minimize the risk
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/children/kidpred.mspx#ERD
Report cyberstalking, Internet harassment, child *advertiser censored* and other cybercrimes here. Get help 24/7. Read the latest news about cyberstalking.
http://wiredsafety.org/index.html
iSafe (2005)
url: http://www.isafe.org
NCMEC (2005) . NationalCenter for Missing & Exploited Children
url: http://www.missingkids.com