Internet Predators "Usually Look for Teens Instead of Kids"

When you hear about online child molesters you probably envision pedophiles pretending to be kids and scouring the Net for small children to abduct and harm. But that popularly perceived profile of Internet sex offenders just isn't true to life in most cases, says a new study.

Researchers at the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire set out to shed some light on who most online "predators" really are and who they're targeting.

The researchers focused on interviews with 3,000 10- to 17-year-old Internet users, as well as more than 600 federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

They found that most online sex offenders:

• are looking for teens — not kids (and they aren't usually pedophiles — people who are sexually attracted to young children)
• are adult men who are honest about their age and about being online in search of sex
• don't pretend to be another kid or teen (only 5% pose as youth) or commit violent or aggressive crimes like abduction, stalking, or forcible rape
• often take their time establishing teenagers' trust (through emails, chat rooms discussions, and instant messaging) in order to seduce or romance them into having intimate relationships that they hope will lead to sex
• are charged with nonviolent statutory rape — sex with a minor

And the kids who are targeted by these Internet "predators":

• usually know they're communicating with an adult online
• say they love or have strong feelings for the adult offenders
• often see the online sex offenders face-to-face repeatedly — nearly three quarters of kids who end up meeting these adults get together with them more than once (and many meet fully expecting some sort of sexual encounter)
• are far more often girls, though almost a quarter of the victims in criminal Internet sex offender cases are boys (many of whom are gay or questioning their sexuality)
• are more vulnerable to "aggressive sexual solicitations" when they:
  • talk to strangers online about sex
  • keep instant messaging "buddy lists" that include people they don't know
  • are "rude or nasty online"
  • have a history of: abuse (physical or sexual), problems at home (including strained relationships with parents), depression, and/or risk-taking behaviors not only on the Internet but in the real world, too

But the researchers make sure to point out that "sex crimes have not increased" — even though the Internet has become a mainstay in kids' and teens' lives.

What This Means to You

This study’s authors say that the strategies usually recommended to parents, like monitoring kids’ Internet activity and encouraging them not to give out personal info, might not be enough to help them fend off online sex offenders. Even social networking sites (like MySpace and Facebook) didn't seem to increase kids' risks of being targeted by online "predators" at all, they say.