Online Predators, part 1: separating fact and fiction

To help parents get a handle on the issue of online predators, we will make an attempt to separate fact from fiction as it applies to behaviors of online predators. All the information used in the following posts was based on Jim Liebelt’s work published by Crosswalk.com.

An online predator is an adult Internet user who exploits vulnerable children or teens, usually for sexual or other abusive purposes. Chat rooms, instant messaging, Internet forums, social networking sites and even video game consoles have all been accused of attracting online predators.

For most parents, keeping kids safe online is a high priority. Over the past few years, we’ve all heard our share of sad but true horror stories of kids who were identified online, then stalked, abducted, abused and in a few cases murdered by real life monsters we refer to as online predators. As more research emerges, it’s important that parents are aware of new conclusions and formulate their family’s plan of action for protecting kids online.

Online predators conjure up certain images in our minds. It’s likely that we might envision a scruffy, middle-aged adult who spends the day sitting behind a computer trolling social networking sites, looking for personal information a child or teen has posted to her or his profile.

Once a potential victim has been identified, we might think the predator will begin stalking the child using the personal information they’ve found. Or, perhaps the predator will attempt to contact the child online, hoping to build a false sense of trust through the use of deceptive practices. Eventually, if given enough information and time, the predator meets or abducts and abuses their victim.

In the relatively short time that sexual predators have been plying their evil trade online, media outlets, authors, and researchers have reported about the most extreme examples of aberrant behavior. These have all combined, contributing to the construction of a stereotype that has been called into question.

In our day, technologies and methods of communication are introduced and change so rapidly that research as to their impact upon society requires a certain amount of lag time before accurate conclusions can be drawn. Researchers at the Crimes Against Children Research Center and Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire recently released the most recent and thorough investigation to-date on online predators and their victims. The study indicates that the early stereotype of online predators was largely inaccurate, and not representative of how these crimes are typically committed.

Cyberbullying hitting school kids hard

Bullying is a huge problem for students. Cyberbullying is now becoming more serious than conventional bullying according to new research.

About 10 per cent of high school students are victims of bullying from cyberspace. Because victims do not get a ‘break’ from the aggressive actions of cyberbullies the problem can be even more serious than with conventional bullying. Ann Frisen, Professor of Psychology at the University of Gothenburg, said in an article on Medical News Today that with conventional bullying kids are generally left alone during the evening hours and on weekends.

‘Victims of internet bullying – or cyberbullying – have no refuge. Victims may be harassed continuously via SMS and websites, and the information spreads very quickly and may be difficult to remove. In addition, it is often difficult to identify the perpetrator.’

Frisen cites the case of a Facebook book, Those of us who hate Stina Johansson. Groups on social media networks are often difficult to remove. In the case of Stina Johansson it took her parents nearly a month before Facebook stopped the cyberbullying group.

Cyberbullies can be anyone, as opposed to the general picture of a bully. Using the Internet does not require someone to be stronger than another in order to turn someone into a victim. It is easy for a person to be anonymous on the Web, which in some cases allows a person to go beyond boundaries that they wouldn’t normally cross.

One way of preventing students from facing a cyberbully attack is to follow what is being taught in the UK: “zip it, block it and flag it” – don’t share information, block contacts and tell an adult!’
Frisen warns parents not to be naive about what they put out on the Internet about their children. Teaching them how to act on the Internet is also something she stresses.

‘It is also important not to blame victimized children, since it’s really not their fault. Our job is instead to help them end the harassment.’
Students who deal with cyberbullying generally have a break during the summer.

KJ Mullins. “Cyberbullying hitting school kids hard” DigitalJournal.com. February 23, 2010

Sexting: Make the punishment fit the ‘crime’ for teenagers

Several teenage girls take risque photos of themselves with their bras on, or, in a few cases, without. In a rush that only teenage minds seem to understand, they send those images to a few school friends via text messages.

Is that child pornography?

In a case watched closely around the nation, the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia is trying to answer that question.

It came about this way: The risque images fell into the hands of the Wyoming County district attorney, who brought child pornography charges against three of the girls who refused to take a remedial course he designed.

In our minds, this is clearly not child pornography, a serious felony of sinister intent that carries jail time.

If we are honest, this behavior isn’t really new. Young people of every generation have pushed boundaries, including sexual ones. It’s just a Polaroid was a lot harder to transmit around than a cell phone photo.

The Wyoming County case shouldn’t have even gotten to this point. The district attorney was out of line to put the girls on par with pedophiles.

In order to prevent scenarios such as this from happening again, state Rep. Seth Grove (R-York) has proposed seemingly commonsense legislation. If enacted, teens who take nude images (not ones showing any sexual acts) and text them to peers could only be charged with a misdemeanor, not a felony.

We fully support the goal of this legislation: To stop charging teens in Pennsylvania with a serious criminal felony for a stupid, albeit vulgar, act.

We also support the attempts of the District Attorneys Association and attorney general, not to mention many teachers and parents, to educate teens that sexting isn’t fun and games. There are serious legal consequences, not to mention moral ones or otherwise.

In a digital age, nude images intended for a significant other can easily circulate to thousands, if not millions, and haunt a teen for the rest of his or her life.

But there is a serious flaw in Rep. Grove’s legislation that needs to be addressed. Calling sexting a misdemeanor sounds like it’s a much-lesser offense. Yet under the Pennsylvania’s juvenile law codes, that doesn’t necessarily ensure a much-lower punishment.

This juvenile misdemeanor charge could still result in a teen going into a detention facility.
Sadly, it’s happened before. What started the entire investigation into former Judge Ciavarella’s actions in Luzerne County was outcry from the community and from the Juvenile Law Center about a teen who created a MySpace page ridiculing a school principal. She was charged with a misdemeanor and sentenced to several months in a juvenile detention facility.

While Ciavarella has now been removed from the bench and disgraced, it’s important to note that the actual sentencing, while outrageous in most people’s minds, was not out of the realm of possible misdemeanor punishments afforded a judge under the state’s juvenile law codes.

That’s the heart of our concerns. Like Rep. Grove, we want to see a commonsense solution applied to sexting, but it’s not that easy in Pennsylvania.

Rep. Grove should amend his bill to more clearly spell out the types of punishments for the sexting misdemeanor such as probation only. That way we ensure no teens will be behind bars for a stupid act of teenage hormones.

By Patriot-News Editorial Board. “Sexting: Make the punishment fit the ‘crime’ for teenagers” www.pennlive.com/opinion/ . February 22, 2010

Police: When monitoring cyber-bullying parents should focus on behavior

In preventing and responding to cyber-bullying, parents should focus on the behavior, not the method, said Exeter Police Department Juvenile Detective Michael Munck.

Now, the method could be cell phones or Facebook, but just six months down the road that could change, Munck told a group of parents gathered at the New Outlook Teen Center Wednesday night for a forum on cyber-bullying. That’s why it’s important to stress to children what is appropriate behavior online and when using other technology.

“Parents are key. We need to let kids know the behaviors are unacceptable. Even a bystander needs to let someone know and a victim needs to know they can tell their parents and get support,” Munck said. “Like everything else we need to talk to our kids head on. The same way we would treat someone face-to-face is how they should be treated online.”

The Online Bullying and Harassment forum, presented in coordination with Families First, focused on how cyber-bullying is done, how parents can know if their children are involved or targeted, the laws and repercussions, and how to prevent cyber-bullying.

The working definition of cyber-bullying is that it is online harassment by someone a child may or may not know personally. It could come from someone they met online. Cyber-bullying can also involved school-related events and can have school-related consequences.

It’s a frightening and dangerous topic as technology is constantly advancing and some parents can’t keep up or don’t know how to approach their children about it, Munck said.

Parents present at the Feb. 17 forum, said they find it difficult to know what their children are doing online. Some have installed software that tracks online conversations, which they can review later.

The social networking sites raise fears for parents as it opens their children up to a wide world full of potential dangers. While children think of their Web pages as only theirs, they don’t realize their pictures, comments and information can reach anyone.

“They don’t always think beyond today or the potential consequences of their actions,” said parent Ed Droste of Newfields. “It can be a very egocentric age.”

Parent Holly Hiltz said it’s as if children feel others are “shut off from what’s going on in their world,” which gives the kids a sense of superiority.

For children, cyber-bullying is a slippery slope that can allow children who wouldn’t normally bully to do so. Children think cyber-bullying is anonymous and is easier to do because there is no face-to-face contact. Some children also think they can’t get in trouble for cyber-bullying.

“They can’t see their impact on somebody face-to-face and see what it’s doing to that person, so it makes it easier to do,” Munck said.

It’s important for children to have someone to turn to, Munck said, whether it’s a parent or a trusted teacher or role model. Many children are not talking to their parents about cyber-bullying because of fears they will have their the computer or cell phone taken away, he said. Instead, they talk to peers who are unable to solve the problem.

“Even though this upsetting stuff is happening, they really don’t want the computer or cell phone taken away because this is part of their social culture now, and they are really worried about that,” Munck said.

It’s important for kids to have a dialogue with their parents and maybe make a deal that they can talk to each other without the fear of losing their social contact devices, Munck said.

“You’ve got to try and be there when they are ready to open up, and let them know you’ll be there,” Droste said. “Although they may be angry with any punishment, I believe there’s a subliminal comfort that ‘Someone’s looking out for me.’”

Parents should contact their school or local police if they feel their child is involved in cyber-bullying.

It’s difficult for law enforcement to tackle the issue, Munck said, as the effects of cyber-bullying may not fully meet the harassment law or criminal threatening depending on the circumstances.

“As with many things, laws have not necessarily kept up with technology,” Munck said. “There is no criminal law specifically to deal with cyber-bullying.”

There is help within the schools. While the state requires schools to have a bullying policy, there is pending legislation that will include cyber-bullying.

Parents can turn to online resources at www.cyberbullying.us which includes tips on how to respond to cyber-bullying.

Feals, Jennifer. “Police: When monitoring cyber-bullying parents should focus on behavior” SeaCoastonline.com. February 19, 2010.

How close to watch teens’ online use?

Julie Kincaid gave her son, Taylor, permission to open a Facebook account two years ago on this condition: She’d have his password so she could see what he was doing on the social-networking site.

Now 16, the Fairfield High School sophomore says he’s still comfortable with the arrangement. Usually.

“I’m usually not doing anything that I would be ashamed of,” he says, but adds: “I kind of get nervous hoping she doesn’t read some of that stuff.”

Says his mother: “I think it’s a parent’s responsibility to check those things out, within reason. It’s not so much a trust issue with Taylor. It’s more, I want to see what kind of kids he’s hanging out with.”

The online world offers many opportunities for positive interaction with others, but with stories circulating regularly about sexting, cyberbullying, Internet predators and the like, many parents wonder how closely they should monitor their teens.

In a national poll released in August by Common Sense Media, 39 percent of teens reported posting something online they later regretted, but only 20 percent of parents said their child had done so. While 28 percent of teens said they had shared information online about themselves that they wouldn’t normally share in public, only 16 percent of parents were aware of it.

Johnston, John. “How close to watch teens’ online use?” News Cincinnati. 8 Nov. 2009. Web. 18 Nov. 2009.