Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later

Abstract

Hampshire to conduct this second survey is vital to maintaining the consistency of research methods in order to get the most accurate interpretation of the results. Dr. Finkelhor has been a well-known national authority on child sexual abuse. The conclusions from YISS-1 have formed the basis for many educational initiatives. The work of Dr. Finkelhor and his colleagues represents a valuable addition to our knowledge and awareness of this difficult and complex problem. We thank staff members at NCMEC and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention along with representatives of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces for their work on this much-needed report and their leadership in helping to safeguard all youth. Our sincere appreciation is also extended to David Finkelhor, Kimberly Mitchell, and Janis Wolak. Their efforts will help legislators, families, and law-enforcement personnel better understand and address this threat to children in an effective, appropriate manner. The best way to preserve the positive uses of the Internet is to help ensure it is not a sanctuary for pedophiles, child pornographers, and others who prey on children. We are committed to assisting law-enforcement personnel fight these crimes and inform families about available resources to help them better protect children. By helping to ensure law-enforcement personnel and families have the necessary tools and knowledge to counter misuse, the Internet will continue to be a powerful source of education, entertainment, and communication. Together we must aggressively enforce a "zero tolerance" policy regarding online victimization of children. There is still much work to be done as we seek to learn more about what youth are encountering on the Internet today. This report provides a critical base of knowledge so we can act, doing far more to ensure we make the Internet the safest it can be for every child.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Youth Sexting: A National Study

“…Eligibility criteria were consistent with 2 previous YISSs. 13,14 Table 1 provides details of the sample characteristics.…”

Youth Sexual Exploitation on the Internet: DSM-IV Diagnoses and Gender Differences in Co-occurring Mental Health Issues

“…A national study reports that 13% of youth between the ages of 10 and 17 received an unwanted sexual solicitation or approach over the Internet in the last year (Wolak, Mitchell & Finkelhor, 2006). Four percent of youth received an aggressive sexual solicitation in which a solicitor asked to meet them somewhere, called them on the telephone, sent them regular mail, money or gifts.…”

“Under His Spell”: Victims’ Perspectives of Being Groomed Online

“…Therefore the true figure will be far greater than prevalence statistics indicate, but 64% of 2391 reports made to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) in the UK by members of the public, in 2009 and 2010 were related to grooming [9]. In prevalence studies, Ospina, Harstall and Dennet's [10] meta-analysis found most studies report between 13% [11] and 19% [12] of young people aged 10-17 years had received sexual solicitations online. However, in a recent study of adolescent behaviour online, Whittle, Hamilton-Giachritsis, Bishopp and Beech [13] found 33% of 354 thirteen and fourteen year olds reported having been approached sexually online.…”