The Evolution of Predators

In the past, predators aspiring to victimize their prey would have to meet, interact with, and secure the trust of their victims in the physical world. A typical depiction of this scenario is an older-aged man walking a puppy near a busy public playground. Children present are enticed by the puppy and flock to the man to play with the dog. The man establishes a sense of trust with the children through the puppy, and after a few visits to the playground and subsequent interaction with the children, the predator emerges when the man invites a child to his house to play with additional (often fictitious) animals. The child, almost blinded by the opportunity to play with more cute puppies, agrees and unwittingly becomes a victim.

Today, the Internet has created a whole new playground in which predators lurk and lure children. Personal pages on social-networking sites, Internet chat rooms, and instant messaging (IM) applications are widely popular among the young American online population. The cloak of secrecy and anonymity that these forums provide creates an ideal situation for online predators to meet and interact with their potential victims. These predators are essentially invited into their victims’ houses or bedrooms, and often the victims do not realize they are in danger until it is too late.

An FBI report* says:

“By using chat rooms, children can chat for hours with unknown individuals, often without the knowledge or approval of their parents. Investigation reveal(s) that computer sex offenders (have) used chat rooms to contact children. Chat rooms offer the advantage of immediate communication around the world and provide the pedophile with an anonymous means of identifying and recruiting children into sexually illicit relationships.” *Operation Candyman Investigation, March 2002

Thirty-five percent of 5-12 graders report (NAC 2006-07) that if their parents knew everything about where they went and what they did on the Internet, their parents would “disapprove” or consider “punishing” them.

What Children are Doing on the Internet

Social-Networking Site Usage Among American Students (Grades 3-12)