Internet Sex Offenders

Internet sex offenders typically start exploiting in a very non-threatening way, "luring" children and youth to reveal personal details about themselves and family members. Internet offenders are definitely on the rise.

A U.S. study surveying a nationally representative sample of 1,501 children/youth aged 10-17 who regularly use the Internet found the following results regarding sexual solicitations and exposure to sexual materials (Finkelhor et al., 2000¹; Crimes Against Children Research Centre, 2002):

  19% of the children/youth surveyed reported being approached for sex through Internet media at least once a year; 1 in 7 of these children reported that the Internet sex offenders also attempted to contact them by telephone or by mail.

  24% of all solicitations and 34% of all aggressive solicitations were made by adults aged 18 and older.

  25% of all aggressive solicitations were made by females.

  Chat Rooms were the medium for two-thirds of the solicitations, and 24% came through Instant Messaging.

Internet Guidelines for Parents

Though there are several international agencies working toward protecting children and youth from Internet sex offenders, it is ultimately the responsibility of the parents to protect their children. Child Net International and How to Keep Safe While Chatting Online suggest the following Guidelines for Parents:   Learn how the Internet works and what the dangers are.   Keep the computer in the family room, not the more private child's bedroom.   Discuss safety issues with your child and use filtering software if necessary.   Ensure that children never reveal personal and private information about themselves or family members.   Never let children meet an on-line new friend without accompanying them.   Know where and to whom you can report any questionable or suspicious activity.

Sex offender pages on this site:

Sex Offenders	Adolescent Offenders	Female Offenders
Male Offenders	Incestuous Offenders	Internet Offenders
Child Offenders

Sexual Abuse pages on this site:

Sexual Abuse	Sexual Abuse Victims
Sexual Abuse Definition	Male Victims
Sexual Abuse Signs	Female Victims
Sexual Abuse Effects	Victims with Disability
Sexual Abuse Statistics	Sexual Abuse Disclosures

Child abuse information pages on this site:

Abuse Headlines	History of Abuse
Sexual Abuse Signs	Child Abuse Stats
Sexual Abuse Effects	Emotional Abuse
Sexual Abuse Stats	Emotional Abuse Types
Sexual Abuse Victims	Emotional Abuse Signs
Male Victims	Emotional Abuse Effects
Female Victims	Bullying
Victims w/ Disability	Emotional Abuse Stats
Sexual Abuse Disclosures	Physical Abuse
Sex Offenders	Physical Abuse Signs
Male Sex Offenders	Abuse & Discipline
Female Sex Offenders	Physical Abuse Effects
Child Sex Offenders	Physical Abuse Stats
Adolescent Sex Offenders	Child Neglect
Incestuous Sex Offenders	Child Neglect Signs
Internet Sex Offenders	Child Neglect Effects
Child Abuse Law	Child Neglect Stats
Age of Majority	Poverty & Neglect
Duty to Report	Sexual Abuse
Abuse Intervention	Sexual Abuse Defined
Abuse Prevention

References

Internet Sex Offenders

1 Finkelhor, D., Mitchell,K., & Wolak, J. (2000, June). Online victimization: A report on the nation's youth. Alexandria, VA.: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

This internet sex offenders page was last revised May 31, 2007