Online “predators” and their victims: Myths, realities, and implications for prevention and treatment.

Wolak, Janis; Finkelhor, Simon David; Mitchell, Kimberly J.; Ybarra, Michele L.

doi:10.1037/2152-0828.1.s.13

Cited by 158 publications

(239 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…These sites can provide important access to role models and support systems that adolescents may not have in their offline social circles. Although the majority of online interactions are benign, 29 contact with a person whose identity has not been confirmed can be a dangerous situation for adolescent girls. Many adolescents do not possess the necessary skills to ward off sexual advances whether online or in person.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of Maltreatment With High-Risk Internet Behaviors and Offline Encounters

2013

PEDIATRICS

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WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Ninety-five percent of American adolescents have Internet access, and 80% use online social networking sites. Current understanding of high-risk Internet behaviors, including exposures to sexually explicit content, provocative social networking profiles, sexual solicitations, and offline encounters, has not kept pace.WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: Substantiated maltreatment emerged as a unique risk factor for adolescents' high-risk Internet behaviors. The moderating influence of parenting quality and monitoring was also explicated. Findings will enhance media literacy programs to promote the safe and optimal use of the Internet. abstract OBJECTIVE: High-risk Internet behaviors, including viewing sexually explicit content, provocative social networking profiles, and entertaining online sexual solicitations, were examined in a sample of maltreated and nonmaltreated adolescent girls aged 14 to 17 years. The impact of Internet behaviors on subsequent offline meetings was observed over 12 to 16 months. This study tested 2 main hypotheses: (1) maltreatment would be a unique contributor to high-risk Internet behaviors and (2) high-quality parenting would dampen adolescents' propensity to engage in high-risk Internet behaviors and to participate in offline meetings. METHODS: Online and offline behaviors and parenting quality were gleaned from 251 adolescent girls, 130 of whom experienced substantiated maltreatment and 121 of whom were demographically matched comparison girls. Parents reported on adolescent behaviors and on the level of Internet monitoring in the home. Social networking profiles were objectively coded for provocative self-presentations. Offline meetings with persons first met online were assessed 12 to 16 months later. RESULTS: Thirty percent of adolescents reported having offline meetings. Maltreatment, adolescent behavioral problems, and low cognitive ability were uniquely associated with high-risk Internet behaviors. Exposure to sexual content, creating high-risk social networking profiles, and receiving online sexual solicitations were independent predictors of subsequent offline meetings. High-quality parenting and parental monitoring moderated the associations between adolescent risk factors and Internet behaviors, whereas use of parental control software did not. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment modalities for maltreated adolescents should be enhanced to include Internet safety literacy. Adolescents and parents should be aware of how online self-presentations and other Internet behaviors can increase vulnerability for Internet-initiated victimization.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of Maltreatment With High-Risk Internet Behaviors and Offline Encounters

2013

PEDIATRICS

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“…It is useful to recall the development of CP laws in the US and in the world (SeigfriedSpellar et al, 2012). After that, we present threats for children by briefly looking at profiles of online predators (Wolak et al, 2010;Seigfried-Spellar, 2013), cyberbullying (Huitsing et al, 2012), detecting children (Murphy, 2012), and risk of online games (Penna et al, 2010).…”

Section: Children-oriented Attacksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While identifying criminals for OSN-initiated crimes, it should be noted that these criminals do not necessarily use fake identities such as representing themselves as children. Wolak et al (2010) analyzed internet-initiated sex crimes and found out that the victims who were teenagers aged 13 to 17 knew that they were communicating with an adult, could lead to a physical meeting and engage in a sexual activity. Hence, internet-initiated sex crimes are not necessarily a result of online deceptive information.…”

Section: Threats For Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey of Social Network Forensics

Karabiyik¹,

Canbaz²,

Aksoy³

et al. 2016

JDFSL

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Social networks in any form, specifically online social networks (OSNs), are becoming a part of our everyday life in this new millennium especially with the advanced and simple communication technologies through easily accessible devices such as smartphones and tablets. The data generated through the use of these technologies need to be analyzed for forensic purposes when criminal and terrorist activities are involved. In order to deal with the forensic implications of social networks, current research on both digital forensics and social networks need to be incorporated and understood. This will help digital forensics investigators to predict, detect and even prevent any criminal activities in different forms. It will also help researchers to develop new models/techniques in the future. This paper provides literature review of the social network forensics methods, models, and techniques in order to provide an overview to the researchers for their future works as well as the law enforcement investigators for their investigations when crimes are committed in the cyber space. It also provides awareness and defense methods for OSN users in order to protect them against to social attacks.

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“…Individuals share identity-related (e.g., location, date of birth) or activityrelated information, as well as details of emotions and relationships on social media. These details can be used by offenders to identify indicators of vulnerability and to make initial contact with potential victims 49 for the purposes of grooming, dating scams and other fraudulent activities. It can also be used for the purposes of harassment and stalking by individuals, or to guess passwords or utilise social engineering techniques, as well as hacking bank and social media accounts.…”

Section: Online Behaviours Exposing Individuals To Risk Of Victimisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cyberpsychology and Human Factors

Bryce

2015

Engineering &Amp; Technology Reference

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The online environment has become a significant focus of the everyday behaviour and activities of individuals and organisations in contemporary society. The increasing mediation of communication has led to concerns about the potential risks and associated negative experiences which can occur to users, particularly children and young people. This is related to the emergence of the online environment as a location for criminal and abusive behaviour (e.g., harassment, sexual exploitation, fraud, hacking, malware).One of the key aspects of understanding online victimisation and engagement in criminal behaviours is the characteristics of online communication that are related to the affordances of the technologies, services and applications which constitute digital environments. The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of these characteristics on individual and group behaviour, as well as the associated opportunities for victimisation and criminal behaviour. These issues are of relevance for those involved in the design and implementation of technologies and services, as the ability to assess their potential use in this way can enhance strategies for improving the security of systems and users. It can also inform educational strategies for increasing user understanding of potential informational, privacy and personal risks, and associated steps to improve their security and privacy. Each of the main characteristics of mediated communication is examined, as well as their potential impact on individual and group behaviour, and associated opportunities for victimisation and offending. The article ends by considering the importance of recognising these issues when designing and implementing new technologies, services and applications.

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Online “predators” and their victims: Myths, realities, and implications for prevention and treatment.

Cited by 158 publications

References 82 publications

Association of Maltreatment With High-Risk Internet Behaviors and Offline Encounters

Association of Maltreatment With High-Risk Internet Behaviors and Offline Encounters

A Survey of Social Network Forensics

Cyberpsychology and Human Factors

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