Online sex predator

When most people think about sexual risk and harm on the Internet, sexual predators come to mind. Because of its sensational nature, the spectre of unscrupulous adults preying upon and sexually exploiting kids online gets a lot of media attention. Since when the Canadian Criminal Code was amended to make contacting children online for sexual exploitation illegal , there has been a significant increase in reported cases. What we do know is that in and , incidents of child luring on the Internet were reported by Canadian authorities.

We asked two experts how families could best navigate gaming and other online activity that can expose children to sexual predators. Sharon W. Cooper is a forensic pediatrician at the University of North Carolina and an expert on sexual exploitation. Both are internationally recognized for their work in the field of child sexual abuse.

Online predators are individuals who commit child sexual abuse that begins or takes place on the Internet. Internet-facilitated sex crimes against minors involve deceit and begin with adults communicating with children over the Internet with the goal of coercing them into illegal sexual activity. Sometimes the sexual abuse happens face to face. Chat rooms , instant messaging , Internet forums , social networking sites , cell phones , and even video game consoles have issues with online predations. Initial manipulation often involves introducing the minors to sexual activity, showing them pornography, and requesting sexually explicit information and pictures.

Marika Guggisberg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Many teenagers use mobile phones and social media almost constantly. And children are gaining access to these devices and platforms at increasingly younger ages. Read more: How to make good arguments at school and everywhere else. Instead, parents should have conversations with children from a young age about cybersecurity.