Some Truths About Online Predators
Just read an excellent post by Andy Carvin over at PBS Teachers about research into online predators. As you might expect, the findings of the research indicate that the real risk to children is minimal and the media frenzy that would have us believe that every child who goes online is being stalked by weirdos from Belarus is well wide of the mark.
The whole study (pdf), “Online ‘Predators’ and Their Victims: Myths, Realities and Implications for Prevention,” was published in American Psychologist, an APA journal. The research was based on three surveys over the last six years. Two of them involved telephone interviews of a combined 3,000 Internet users between the ages of 10 and 17, first in 2000 and again in 2005. The third survey involved 12 interviews with federal, state and local law enforcement officials between October 2001 and July 2002.
Andy summarises many points from the findings but the most telling one for me is this point:
Youth who engaged in four or more risky online behaviors were much more likely to report receiving online sexual solicitations. The online risky behaviors included maintaining buddy lists that included strangers, discussing sex online with people they did not know in person and being rude or nasty online.
Once again it points to the need for us, as educators, to take responsibility for what our students are doing online. We have to model good behavior and expect it from our students. It is just not good enough for us to say what happens online in their own time is of no consequence to us.
Photo: Glaucilla marginata
Filed under: Learning for a Flat World | Tagged: online safety, predator, responsibility
