Study finds publicity about online “predators” who prey on naive children using trickery and violence is largely inaccurate

Online “Predators” and their Victims: Myths, Realities and Implications for Prevention and Treatment

Media stories about “online predators” using the Internet to gain access to young victims have become a staple of news reports since the late 1990s, when youth Internet use became widespread. Much of the publicity about these cases depicts online molesters who use the Internet to lure children into sexual assaults (e.g., Blustein, 2007; Boss, 2007; Crimaldi, 2007; Kelly, 2005; Lowery, 2007). In the stereotypical media portrayal, these online child molesters lurk in Internet venues popular with children and adolescents (e.g., Appuzzo, 2006; Ginz, 2007). They use information publicly divulged in online profiles and social networking sites to identify potential targets (e.g., Medina, 2007; Rawe, 2006; Schrobsdorff, 2006). They contact victims using deception to cover up their ages and sexual intentions (e.g., Crimaldi, 2007). Then they entice unknowing victims into meetings or stalk and abduct them (e.g., Filosi, 2007; Minaya, 2006; Rawe, 2006). Some news reports suggest that law enforcement is facing an epidemic of these sex crimes perpetrated through a new medium by a new type of criminal (e.g., Bahney, 2006; Filosa, 2007; Manalatos, 2007). Needless to say, these reports have raised fears about Internet use by children and adolescents and about the safety of specific online activities such as interacting online with unknown people, posting profiles containing pictures and personal information, and maintaining web pages at social networking sites.

The reality about Internet-initiated sex crimes – those in which sex offenders meet juvenile victims online – is different, more complex, and serious but less archetypically frightening than the publicity about these crimes suggests. Entire Document

Authors: Janis Wolak, Crimes against Children Research Center & Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire; David Finkelhor, Crimes against Children Research Center & Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire; Kimberly J. Mitchell, Crimes against Children Research Center & Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire; Michele L. Ybarra, Internet Solutions for Kids, Inc., Santa Ana, CA