David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
SEXUAL PREDATORS AND TEEN INTERNET USE
by Regina Kearney, Freedom From Fear
July 2, 2009
Back in the days before social networking websites like Myspace and Facebook were in existence, Internet communication was limited to e-mails, chat rooms and instant messaging. My first experience with Internet communication took place in those earlier days of online chatting. Fourteen years ago, at the age of 12, I went online for the first time. I was visiting a friend who not only had a computer of her own, but Internet connection. The two of us took turns going online to join chat room discussions and talk to people on an instant messaging program. It was not very long before we were lying about our age (we decided that being 15 or 16 years old sounded much better than 12 years old) and talking to older males, in hopes of engaging in online communications with cool high school boys.
I soon began to communicate regularly with a male claiming to be in his early twenties. This male was much older than the type of male I was hoping to communicate with, but I continued to chat with him out of boredom, and because lying about my age (to this individual I had established myself as a 16 year-old) and creating a more mature identity for myself was exciting and fun. My online communications with this older male started off as benign exchanges of information- we told each other our ages, current city, favorite bands, and favorite activities, but took a rather disturbing turn when my new Internet friend asked if he could e-mail me a picture of himself. Curious about how this person I had been communicating with looked, I agreed to receive a picture and, without a second thought, sent my e-mail address to this male. I was shocked and mortified when I downloaded the picture that had been sent to me, which turned out to be pornographic. The online messages sent by my online friend following the receipt of this e-mail were of a sexually explicit nature. I was much more frightened by the experience than I was curious about it, and I decided to change my e-mail account and delete my instant messaging screen name in an effort to cease my internet relationship with the older male. I never spoke with him again.
Unfortunately, my disturbing early experience with the Internet remains a common one among young Web users. According to the Crimes Against Children Research Center, one in five U.S. teenagers that regularly logs onto the Internet have received an unwanted sexual solicitation on the Web. Similarly, 25% of children have been exposed to unwanted pornographic material online. These statistics are a cause of concern for many parents.
Adding to parental concern about Internet safety is the wide availability and proliferation of social networking Web sites where many Internet-initiated sex crimes are originated. According to Lenhart, Madden, McGill, & Smith (2007), approximately 55% of adolescent Internet users have, or are currently using, social networking Web sites. Some of these Web sites use interactive virtual personas, or avatars, as a way of self-representation. An avatar is self-designed and, on many social networking sites, is the fundamental means of presenting and identifying oneself. Other social networking sites, such as Myspace and Facebook, allow users to post photographs and descriptions of themselves. These self-representations, like avatars, can hold considerable influence in shaping online behavior and interactions.
Supporting this notion, a recent study by Noll, Shenk, Barnes & Putnam (2009) found that teenage girls who picked provocative representations (avatars) of themselves and put those representations online were more likely to be approached sexually and to meet the individuals who approached them offline. The study compared girls that had a history of physical or sexual abuse or neglect to girls that did not have such a history. It was found that participants that had been abused were more likely to create provocative avatars, be approached online sexually, and to actually meet a person they first encountered online. Unfortunately, these results likely also apply to Internet sites that rely not only on avatars, but on actual photographs and written descriptions. These pictures and descriptions can be provocative and sexual in nature as well.
When I was sexually approached online 14 years ago, I was both na?ve and innocent. According to Noll, Shenk, Barnes & Putnam (2009), na?vet? and sexual innocence do not pose the greatest risk for Internet-initiated victimization of adolescents. Instead, family conflict, depression, conversing with unknown people about sex, sending personal information to strangers, and a history of physical or sexual abuse have been identified as vulnerabilities to Internet-initiated victimization.
According to the study by Noll and colleagues (2009), recognizing the characteristics of high-risk Internet users is warranted and parents, in particular, can play an important role in preventing exposure to online sexual solicitation. Findings of the study indicate that caregiver presence is associated with fewer reports of sexual solicitation online. Parents can prevent online sexual victimization by emphasizing ways of warding off unwanted sexual advances online and explaining how virtual self-representations can influence others’ perceptions and behavior. The authors of the study also suggested that pediatricians can play an important role in the prevention of Internet-initiated victimization by asking patients with a history of physical or sexual abuse about their online activity and providing education and resources to families regarding risk factors of sexual solicitation online and offline.
Given the incidence of sexual solicitation of teenagers and young people on the Internet, it is the opinion of Freedom From Fear that this issue needs to be addressed not only by parents and doctors, but by all concerned citizens. To best address this issue, Internet safety education should be integrated in school curriculums across the nation. This would ensure that all young people are informed about online predators, and have valuable knowledge and skills that will help them protect themselves. A national public education campaign, similar to other public campaigns like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.), is needed to help inform all concerned citizens about the incidence of sexual solicitation of teens online, and the dangers associated with that solicitation.
It is a normative part of adolescent development to be curious about sex and reactive to normal sexual urges. However, expressing curiosity and/or urges using provocative self-descriptions or personas may not be the healthiest or most safe manner of exploring these urges (Noll, Shenk, Barnes & Putnam, 2009). Fortunately for me, I was more frightened by the unwanted sexual advances I received online when I was younger than I was curious about them. Had I been more sexually curious, I could have potentially gotten myself into a dangerous situation by personifying myself more provocatively. Other adolescents assuredly receive sexual advances online while being in very different frames of mind than the one I had at the age of 12, and while living in situations very different than my own was. It is this reason that it is so important for parents, doctors, teachers, and all other concerned citizens to remain involved in, and aware of, adolescent online activity. Doing so will allow for the assessment of risk factors and/or provocative representations of the self.
Regina Kearney is a Master’s of Social Work student currently completing an internship at Freedom From Fear.
References:
Crimes Against Children Research Center (2009). First internet youth safety survey (YISS-1). Crimes Against Children Research Center.
Lenhart, A., Madden, M., McGill, A.R., Smith, A. (2007). Teens and Social Media: The Use of Social Media Gains a Greater Foothold in Teen Life as They Embrace the Conversational Nature of Interactive Online Media. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Noll, J.G., Shenk, C.E., Barnes, J.E., Putnam, F.W. (2009). Childhood abuse, avatar choices, and other risk factors associated with Internet-initiated victimization of adolescent girls. Pediatrics, 2009(123), e1077-1084.
by Regina Kearney, Freedom From Fear
July 2, 2009
Back in the days before social networking websites like Myspace and Facebook were in existence, Internet communication was limited to e-mails, chat rooms and instant messaging. My first experience with Internet communication took place in those earlier days of online chatting. Fourteen years ago, at the age of 12, I went online for the first time. I was visiting a friend who not only had a computer of her own, but Internet connection. The two of us took turns going online to join chat room discussions and talk to people on an instant messaging program. It was not very long before we were lying about our age (we decided that being 15 or 16 years old sounded much better than 12 years old) and talking to older males, in hopes of engaging in online communications with cool high school boys.
I soon began to communicate regularly with a male claiming to be in his early twenties. This male was much older than the type of male I was hoping to communicate with, but I continued to chat with him out of boredom, and because lying about my age (to this individual I had established myself as a 16 year-old) and creating a more mature identity for myself was exciting and fun. My online communications with this older male started off as benign exchanges of information- we told each other our ages, current city, favorite bands, and favorite activities, but took a rather disturbing turn when my new Internet friend asked if he could e-mail me a picture of himself. Curious about how this person I had been communicating with looked, I agreed to receive a picture and, without a second thought, sent my e-mail address to this male. I was shocked and mortified when I downloaded the picture that had been sent to me, which turned out to be pornographic. The online messages sent by my online friend following the receipt of this e-mail were of a sexually explicit nature. I was much more frightened by the experience than I was curious about it, and I decided to change my e-mail account and delete my instant messaging screen name in an effort to cease my internet relationship with the older male. I never spoke with him again.
Unfortunately, my disturbing early experience with the Internet remains a common one among young Web users. According to the Crimes Against Children Research Center, one in five U.S. teenagers that regularly logs onto the Internet have received an unwanted sexual solicitation on the Web. Similarly, 25% of children have been exposed to unwanted pornographic material online. These statistics are a cause of concern for many parents.
Adding to parental concern about Internet safety is the wide availability and proliferation of social networking Web sites where many Internet-initiated sex crimes are originated. According to Lenhart, Madden, McGill, & Smith (2007), approximately 55% of adolescent Internet users have, or are currently using, social networking Web sites. Some of these Web sites use interactive virtual personas, or avatars, as a way of self-representation. An avatar is self-designed and, on many social networking sites, is the fundamental means of presenting and identifying oneself. Other social networking sites, such as Myspace and Facebook, allow users to post photographs and descriptions of themselves. These self-representations, like avatars, can hold considerable influence in shaping online behavior and interactions.
Supporting this notion, a recent study by Noll, Shenk, Barnes & Putnam (2009) found that teenage girls who picked provocative representations (avatars) of themselves and put those representations online were more likely to be approached sexually and to meet the individuals who approached them offline. The study compared girls that had a history of physical or sexual abuse or neglect to girls that did not have such a history. It was found that participants that had been abused were more likely to create provocative avatars, be approached online sexually, and to actually meet a person they first encountered online. Unfortunately, these results likely also apply to Internet sites that rely not only on avatars, but on actual photographs and written descriptions. These pictures and descriptions can be provocative and sexual in nature as well.
When I was sexually approached online 14 years ago, I was both na?ve and innocent. According to Noll, Shenk, Barnes & Putnam (2009), na?vet? and sexual innocence do not pose the greatest risk for Internet-initiated victimization of adolescents. Instead, family conflict, depression, conversing with unknown people about sex, sending personal information to strangers, and a history of physical or sexual abuse have been identified as vulnerabilities to Internet-initiated victimization.
According to the study by Noll and colleagues (2009), recognizing the characteristics of high-risk Internet users is warranted and parents, in particular, can play an important role in preventing exposure to online sexual solicitation. Findings of the study indicate that caregiver presence is associated with fewer reports of sexual solicitation online. Parents can prevent online sexual victimization by emphasizing ways of warding off unwanted sexual advances online and explaining how virtual self-representations can influence others’ perceptions and behavior. The authors of the study also suggested that pediatricians can play an important role in the prevention of Internet-initiated victimization by asking patients with a history of physical or sexual abuse about their online activity and providing education and resources to families regarding risk factors of sexual solicitation online and offline.
Given the incidence of sexual solicitation of teenagers and young people on the Internet, it is the opinion of Freedom From Fear that this issue needs to be addressed not only by parents and doctors, but by all concerned citizens. To best address this issue, Internet safety education should be integrated in school curriculums across the nation. This would ensure that all young people are informed about online predators, and have valuable knowledge and skills that will help them protect themselves. A national public education campaign, similar to other public campaigns like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.), is needed to help inform all concerned citizens about the incidence of sexual solicitation of teens online, and the dangers associated with that solicitation.
It is a normative part of adolescent development to be curious about sex and reactive to normal sexual urges. However, expressing curiosity and/or urges using provocative self-descriptions or personas may not be the healthiest or most safe manner of exploring these urges (Noll, Shenk, Barnes & Putnam, 2009). Fortunately for me, I was more frightened by the unwanted sexual advances I received online when I was younger than I was curious about them. Had I been more sexually curious, I could have potentially gotten myself into a dangerous situation by personifying myself more provocatively. Other adolescents assuredly receive sexual advances online while being in very different frames of mind than the one I had at the age of 12, and while living in situations very different than my own was. It is this reason that it is so important for parents, doctors, teachers, and all other concerned citizens to remain involved in, and aware of, adolescent online activity. Doing so will allow for the assessment of risk factors and/or provocative representations of the self.
Regina Kearney is a Master’s of Social Work student currently completing an internship at Freedom From Fear.
References:
Crimes Against Children Research Center (2009). First internet youth safety survey (YISS-1). Crimes Against Children Research Center.
Lenhart, A., Madden, M., McGill, A.R., Smith, A. (2007). Teens and Social Media: The Use of Social Media Gains a Greater Foothold in Teen Life as They Embrace the Conversational Nature of Interactive Online Media. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Noll, J.G., Shenk, C.E., Barnes, J.E., Putnam, F.W. (2009). Childhood abuse, avatar choices, and other risk factors associated with Internet-initiated victimization of adolescent girls. Pediatrics, 2009(123), e1077-1084.
