50 Online Predator Prevention Tips

Online Sexual Predators: Having been a practicing psychologist and forensic examiner before changing his career path to the study and investigation of online assailants, this writer fully understands that most sexual predators are typically close in age to the child victim and usually family members, friends or intimate partners of their victims. Although this reality has been validated by prestigious researchers, the FBI estimates that any given time there are hundreds of thousands online child predators trolling cyberspace for children.

Simply stated, online predators are sexual predators who use Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to locate, target and victimize minors. Common forums used by internet predators to target children include chat rooms, instant messaging or social networking sites for the purpose of flirting with and meeting others for illicit sexual experiences. Online Predators often are motivated to manipulate or “groom” a minor with the goal of meeting and engaging in sexual activity, despite knowing they are engaging in illegal activities.

Internet Predator Prevention

In instances where meeting their victims to engage in sexual activities is not the primary objective, internet predators also attempt to persuade children and teens to participate in some form of online sexual and/or sexually provocative activity motivated by sexual deviance or for financial gain engaging in the distribution and sale of child pornography.

As Information and Communications Technology (ICT) becomes more widespread, cyber-attack prevention, education and protection are areas requiring immediate attention. The Information Age has many benefits to humanity, but it is vital to identify and prevent the malevolent and nefarious elements that exist in cyberspace and Information and Communications Technology. The typologies of iPredator include cyberbullying, cyber harassment, internet trolls, cyberstalking, cybercrime, online sexual predation, online child pornography consumption and cyberterrorism. Within this construct, cyber harassment is the adult form of cyberbullying and used when the perpetrator is an adult. 

Internet Safety for Kids

In addition to having IVI, the iPredator practices Cyberstealth using multiple covert strategies. In fact, the third criteria used to define an iPredator include a general understanding of Cyberstealth used to profile, identify, locate, stalk and engage a target. Also lying upon a continuum of expertise, iPredators are assessed as being advanced in their Cyberstealth practices as opposed to a haphazard approach of targeting a victim without attempting to hide their identity.

Often, cyberbullies, ex-partners, ex-employees, angry or self-righteous online users, Internet trolls, organized groups with political, religious and moralistic causes, child molesters, pedophiles and highly narcissistic online users do not attempt to hide their identities. Cyberstealth is a strategy reserved for iPredators who seek to hide their identities online.

Cyberstealth, a concept formulated along with iPredator, is a term used to define a method and/or strategies by which iPredators devise tactics to establish and sustain complete anonymity while they troll and stalk an online target. In addition to a stratagem, Cyberstealth is a reality of Information and Communications Technology, that humanity often fails to fathom leading some online users to become high probability targets. Cyberstealth is a learned behavior that becomes more advanced with practice, trial and error and experimentation.

Here are 50 tips relevant to understanding the profiles of internet predators. Based on your child’s age and developmentally maturity, these points can also be used as independent discussions. Whether you are a parent or educator, these topics are vital in your endeavor to educate a child on cyber security. Although checking off all fifty items with an affirmative response significantly lowers a child’s probability of being targeted, nothing comes close to proactive parenting.

ICE Website Link: http://www.ice.gov/  

Online Predator Prevention Tips List

Adult = Parent, Primary Caregiver or Educator

1. An adult recognizes online child predation more often involves mobile devices as opposed to home based stationary devices.
2. An adult uses developmentally appropriate prevention strategies to educate the child about romance and sex.
3. An adult recognizes how to recognize if the child has sexual orientation concerns or patterns of offline and online risk taking.
4. An adult recognizes the characteristics of internet-initiated sex crimes.
5. An adult recognizes the stereotype of the online child predator using trickery and violence to assault minors is inaccurate.
6. An adult recognizes most internet sex crimes involve adult men who sexually solicit minors.
7. An adult recognizes that most internet sex crimes include victims aware they are conversing with adults.
8. An adult recognizes online predators rarely deceive their victims about their sexual interests and endeavor to secure their consent.
9. An adult recognizes that most minors who meet an online predator meets offline expecting to engage in sexual activity.
10. The child is aware online predators primarily deceive minors using promises of love and romance, but their intentions are primarily sexual.
11. An adult recognizes that most online predators are charged with statutory rape involving non-forcible sexual activity with their victims.
12. An adult recognizes age-of-consent law violations are the most common sex crimes against minors in general.
13. An adult recognizes most sex crimes against minors are never reported to law enforcement.
14. An adult recognizes that Internet sex crimes involve adult offenders who are 10 or more years older than their underage targets.
15. An adult recognizes they are experiencing or soon to experience adolescent sexual development with growing sexual curiosity.
16. An adult understands most early adolescent minors are already aware of, thinking about and beginning to experiment with sex.
17. An adult is aware most minors have had romantic partners and absorbed by romantic concerns.
18. The child is or will be educated on how internet-initiated sex crimes often involve greater self-disclosure and intensity than face-to-face relationships among peers.
19. Relevant to a child’s online activity, an adult is aware minors often struggle with emotional control during their early to mid-teens.
20. An adult is aware the child and all minors are vulnerable to seduction by online predators due to immaturity, inexperience, and the impulsiveness of exploring normal sexual urges.
21. An adult recognizes minors who send personal information to online strangers are more likely to receive aggressive sexual solicitations.
22. An adult recognizes online predators groom minors by establishing trust and confidence first.
23. The child knows never to disclose their personal information at anonymous video chat sites even if together with close friends.
24. The child is aware chat rooms are one of the prime arenas online predators seek out child victims.
25. The child is aware many chat rooms engage in explicit sexual talk, sexual innuendo, and profanity.
26. The child is aware many chat rooms that engage in the explicit sexual talk are frequented by online predators.
27. An adult is aware evidence suggesting minors and teens who regularly visit chat rooms are more likely to have problems with sadness, loneliness, or depression.
28. An adult is aware clinical evidence suggests minors and teens who regularly visit chat rooms have more problems with their parents and engage in risky behavior.
29. An adult is aware clinical evidence suggests minors lacking in social skills interact with others in chat rooms to compensate for difficulties they have forming offline relationships.
30. An adult is aware clinical evidence suggests younger teens are not developmentally prepared to avoid or respond to the explicit sexual invitations they are likely to encounter in many chat rooms.
31. An adult recognizes most online predators meet their child victims in chat rooms.
32. An adult is aware minors and teens with histories of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse are more vulnerable to online predator grooming.
33. An adult recognizes a child and teen online users with histories of offline sexual or physical abuse are far more likely to receive online aggressive sexual solicitations.
34. An adult recognizes emotionally abused minors and teens are more at risk for online sexual victimization and exploitation.
35. An adult recognizes research suggests some minors are more vulnerable to online sexual solicitations because they are looking for attention and affection.
36. An adult recognizes childhood trauma is associated with adolescent risk behavior, risky sexual behavior, and online risk behavior.
37. An adult recognizes prior childhood abuse may trigger risky offline and online sexual behavior that directly invites online predator advances.
38. An adult recognizes social interaction problems and depression have been suggested to increase a child’s vulnerability to online predator sexual abuse.
39. An adult recognizes the only online activity riskier than posting online personal information for minors and teens is conversing online with strangers about sex.
40. An adult recognizes that child predators have not changed their tactics of cyberstalking minors because of the advent of social networking sites.
41. An adult recognizes online predators often stalk and abduct teens based on information they have posted on their social networking profiles.
42. An adult recognizes online predators rarely stalk and abduct teens at social networking profiles, unless they conclude the child is susceptible to their grooming and seduction tactics.
43. An adult recognizes minors and teens who have blogs and post personal information for public display are at a higher risk of being targeted by an online predator.
44. An adult recognizes minors are more likely to receive online sexual solicitations via instant messages or in chat rooms than through social networking sites.
45. An adult recognizes a minor’s level of vulnerability to online sexual solicitation is influenced most by interactions with online strangers.
46. An adult recognizes minors who interact with online strangers and engage in other risky online behaviors are significantly more likely to receive aggressive sexual solicitations.
47. An adult recognizes teen females constitute a higher proportion of online predator victims than teen males, but gay male teens are at a much higher rate of online victimization.
48. An adult recognizes the fundamental differences between a Pedophile and Child Molester.
49. An adult recognizes sexual solicitations are defined as requests to engage in sexual activities or sexual talk, or to give personal sexual information.
50. An adult recognizes posting images, videos or personal information on social networking sites is dangerous.

Michael Nuccitelli, Psy.D.

Michael Nuccitelli, Psy.D. is a NYS licensed psychologist, cyberpsychology researcher and online safety educator. In 2009, Dr. Nuccitelli finalized his dark side of cyberspace concept called iPredator. Since 2010, he has advised those seeking information about cyberbullying, cyberstalking, cybercriminal minds, internet addiction and his Dark Psychology concept. By day Dr. Nuccitelli is a practicing psychologist, clinical supervisor and owner of MN Psychological Services, PLLC. After work and on the weekends, he volunteers helping online users who have been cyber-attacked. Dr. Nuccitelli’s is always available to interested parties and the media at no cost. This website and everything created by Dr. Nuccitelli is educational, free and public domain.