The Internet has become the predator’s preferred playground.  It’s anonymous and provides these sexual deviants with more protection and more children than they could ever target in a park or schoolyard.  The key is they need to find a willing, or an accommodating, naïve, child/target.  Unfortunately, their internet playground is full of children poised to be targets! 

Pre-teens and teens frequently post information and/or photos of themselves online with either no knowledge of what a dangerous and potentially fatal activity in which they are engaging is, or they are adventurous and trust that they will meet someone who will fulfill their needs. Again, not realizing their lives could either end as a result, or, be ruined forever.

It is important to note that there are approximately one-and-a-half million American children illegally trafficked each year, according to director, Carol Smolenski, of ECPAT (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking).  While the Internet is not responsible for all of these, it certainly is a factor.  Child pornography and exploitation is a billion dollar business, and there is no end in sight.  Everyday, somewhere, there is a child being victimized online.

It doesn’t have to be this way.  It is up to us and our children to know how predators work, what their motives are, and what to do in order to remain safe while enjoying activities on the net.

The first thing to know is that sexual predators continually troll the internet looking for child targets.  They browse personal profiles that children, typically 12-15 year olds, post of themselves on social networking sites, such as MySpace.com, or instant message services.  They also anonymously lurk in the background of chat rooms.  Sometimes they’ll collect information on a particular child before trying to contact them. Other times, if the child’s remarks seem inviting, provocative, or, if the child seems lonely and looking for friends, they’ll make an immediate contact.  The easiest targets are those kids who can be conned into keeping secrets.  Secrecy is key.  You should always educate your children that if anyone whom they have met online asks them to keep a secret, they should report it to you.  Ensure them that they will never get in trouble with you.  This is not a time for punishment, but rather a time for being an understanding parent.  They have fallen prey to a manipulative pedophile.

Sexual predators search for kids who post personal online profiles and are particularly drawn to those kids who post photographs of themselves, give their physical description and include their name, age, sex, and location.  They look for kids who have regular and private access to a computer and are consistently online for long periods of time each day.  They like kids who have few activities or a strong network of friends.  They seek out kids who are vulnerable and willing to keep talking to them.  Vulnerability comes in many forms:  a kid who is sheltered, insecure, unhappy, lonely, or adventurous.  Predators particularly like kids who come from single parent families, are having trouble in school, with friends, or with the law and/or are experimenting with drugs, alcohol, or sex. 

They also like kids who have their own instant message accounts, which today is not uncommon.  Although some predators use email, they prefer to use instant messages because once the instant message window is closed the message seems to disappear; whereas with email, the message has to be manually deleted thus, posing a risk to the predator of getting caught.  Law enforcement estimates that the typical online sexual predator has victimized anywhere from 30 to 150 kids prior to getting caught.

Predators often pose as children or teenagers.  They are experts in what pre-teens and teens have as interests, and they know exactly how they talk.  Their goal is to create a “trust bridge” relationship that becomes more important to the child than the relationship that child has with family and/or friends.  The predator uses the relationship to initiate sexual discussion and activity.  One of the main activities is using a webcam or digital camera to take and email provocative or lewd photos of themselves.  Sometimes these photos are copied and sold to child pornographers or end up on pedophile websites.

Predators need children who will be open to sexual discussions and not terminate the relationship at the first suggestion of sexual activity.  They will expose the child/target to sexual images in an effort to break down their barriers and portray the viewing of sexual photos and deviant sexual activities as “normal”.  If the predator has groomed the child/target well, he/she will put up with this uncomfortable conversation and the viewing of sexual images so as not to lose their new friend.  There is the flip side however, on occasion there will be the child who gets scared or wants to end the relationship.  The predator may threaten the child/victim with exposing them to parents or friends, or depending upon the situation may threaten to harm them or their family, if they fail to “go along”.  Typically however, the predator doesn’t want to alienate the child/target but rather ensure their loyalty and confidence. After all, the final goal is to lure the child into a secret, face-to-face meeting – sometimes including a plan to run away from home or, from the predator’s objective, a plan to kidnap or abduct, or engage in sexual slavery. 
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You may contact Suzanne Stanford, My Internet Safety Coach, at:  suzanne@kidsafe.com