“Don’t trust people online.” “People online can be dangerous.” “You shouldn’t make friends with strangers online.” These statements are familiar to many, but how many of us fully understand how dangerous online strangers can be? I surely didn’t when I was nine and experiencing this from a predator who was 14. Every day, there are at least 500,000 predators online, and 1 out of 5 children have reported that they have been groomed online in just the last year, according to the Beau Biden Foundation article, “How Do Predators Find Children Online?” This topic is important because grooming can happen or has happened to many people, including people you love and care about, like siblings, cousins, best friends, and even adults you trust. Child grooming and child pornography are dangerous issues online, and to combat this, parents have to discuss these online dangers with their children, and convicted sex offenders should go through therapy to reduce the rate of recidivism.
Children are preyed upon by predators that use the child’s naivety to their advantage, building a friendship that leads to traumatizing things for the child. According to the National Institutes of Health, the article “Prevalence of Online Sexual Offenses Against Children in the US” states “In this national survey study of 2639 individuals, lifetime exposures were as follows: online child sexual abuse, 15.6%; image-based sexual abuse, 11.0%; self-produced child sexual abuse images, 7.2%; nonconsensual sexting, 7.2%; online grooming by adults, 5.4%; revenge pornography, 3.1%; sextortion, 3.5%; and online commercial sexual exploitation, 1.7%.” Grooming and rape not only affect children’s physical health but also affects their mental health. Victims of this abuse are more prone to mental health issues and also feelings of guilt because some may believe that they are the ones to blame. The NIH article “Emotional Support and Adult Depression in Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse” states, “Research shows that 30-40% of individuals who experienced sexual abuse in childhood report a lifetime history of depression, compared with 10-20% of individuals with no history of childhood sexual assault. Furthermore, individuals with a history of childhood sexual assault tend to have an earlier onset of depressive symptoms, a more chronic course, and a greater risk for borderline personality characteristics and suicidal behavior.” After such actions, they’re typically left with bruises and cuts, often left untreated due to the fear of not being believed. In regards to their physical health, the Joyful Heart Foundation article “Effects of Sexual Assault and Rape” states examples of what can occur from assault, such as “
- Bruising.
- Bleeding (vaginal or anal)
- Difficulty walking.
- Soreness.
- Broken or dislocated bones.
- Sexually transmitted infections and diseases.
- Pregnancy.”
An example of a child affected by this is stated on Child Rescue Coalition, a blog written by a nine-year-old child’s mother, and the title being Amelia’s Story: Groomed on a Video Game. According to this blog, Amelia was a person who loved video games, and after a while, her mother noticed some withdrawal from her daughter. Due to the mother’s concerns, she took Amelia to that doctor, and Amelia had been diagnosed with clinical depression and had to begin taking antidepressants. Amelia’s final year of primary school is when she began to have sex education, which led to her being uncomfortable because it reminded her of what happened online. When Amelia finally told her mother, she began sobbing in guilt. The mother comforted her daughter as her daughter explained why she waited so long to tell someone, this being that Amelia thought she was talking to another child her age, and she was told that they’d both go to jail if they told anyone. This shows how easy it is to be manipulated, the effects of child grooming, and that you can’t trust anyone online despite the precautions taken to be safe.
Child predators are a major online threat, but how can we prevent this from happening? There are several ways to protect the youth from child predators, and one of the major ways to protect your children is by educating them on how people will groom children and the dangers behind being a victim. According to rainn.org article “5 Red Flags and 5 Tips to Protect Your Child Online”, you can protect your children by: (1) Talk to your child about online predators and tell them what is and isn’t acceptable for someone to say online; (2) Show you child that you are a comfortable space for them to talk to you; (3) Make sure your child’s online account is private and that they only accept friend requests from people they know in real life. (4) Pay attention to your child’s online actions. For example, who they talk to or what websites they visit; (5) Set parental controls, especially for younger children since they are more vulnerable. This will allow your child to set firm boundaries with people online and understand when to stop talking to people who make them uncomfortable. Another way to protect youth from child predators is by making sure that victims of child grooming don’t repeat the same actions as their abusers. According to Springfield News-Sun, an article named “Prevent your child from becoming a sexual offender,” stating “Alert your teen to the reality that a younger minor, both from a legal and developmental point of view, cannot willingly engage in sexual acts. Consent implies that a child has a complete understanding of the risks and implications of sexual behavior. A 6-year-old cannot voluntarily consent to engaging in a sexual act with a 12-year-old. Many kids misinterpret younger children’s cooperation or interest in sex as an indication that the sexual acts are voluntary. They are neither voluntary nor legal and can result in serious consequences.
Help your child understand the long-term legal consequences of engaging in sexual behavior with a younger person. Sexual offenses are viewed very seriously, even if committed by a minor. Some of these minors are placed for many years on directories of sexual predators.” But how can we rehabilitate registered sex offenders? Many may believe that it is impossible to rehabilitate those sexual offenders, but this is one of many myths that people have stated. According to Counseling.org, one of these myths is that treatments for sex offenders don’t work and that an offender is still more likely to re-offend despite the therapy given. According to the smart.ojp.gov article named “Chapter 7: Effectiveness of Treatment for Adult Sex Offenders,” “Treatment impact is not the same: Those offenders who respond to treatment do better than those who do not respond well. Moderate-to high-risk offenders benefit most. Treatment can reduce sexual recidivism over a 5-year period by 5–8 percent.” Parents are able to protect their children to the best of their abilities, and people who have harmed others before are able to work through their own issues to become better than before.
“How old are you?” “Do you send photos?” ”Don’t tell your parents.” All of these are statements said to children every day online. This is a continuous cycle of children being preyed upon by people they’ve grown to trust. As you can see from everything I’ve stated, child grooming and child pornography are dangerous issues online, and to combat this, parents must discuss these online dangers with their children so that they understand the dangers of being groomed, and convicted sex offenders should go through therapy to reduce the rate of recidivism. The reason why this is an issue is because children get harmed physically and emotionally, and it may also lead to them hurting others in the future. There should be NO REASON AT ALL that I have to be fearful of people online who enjoy the same things I do, and that I get along with, but because of the world we live in, this is what’s true. You, as a parent, family member, friend, or even stranger, should not want this to happen to mere children. CHILDREN THAT HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG. This cycle of predators and prey should be broken, and we should protect the children from harm.
