Understanding Online Predators (Continued)
Larry: Do the predators usually admit that they're adults or do they tend to pose as other teenagers?
John: We really see a mixed batch when it comes to that. In some instances the individuals will start off as the same or like age as that child and they'll progress and actually tell their real age, especially when it gets close to a meeting. "Really I'm a 40 or 50 years old." You would think that would prompt a child into speaking up but it doesn't. The children feel they understand why the predator didn't give their real age in the first place because most kids would have run away so they try to reason and tell themselves that it's OK. That they trust this individual and they understand why the person would have lied in the first place. So there are all sorts of mind games that these predators play with the kids.
Up until recently the big concern was chat. We were worried about chat rooms. Has that changed? Have blogs become a bigger issue as far as child safety is concerned? It seemed that we were beginning to make progress educating kids about not giving out personal information in chat rooms, but that same caution doesn't seem to apply to these social networks. Why is that?
We have seen a decline in the number of reports about problems in chat rooms. It's funny because kids will point out that "dirty old men" are in the chat rooms, but they don't think that they're in the different blogs and online journals. But they are. Wherever the kids migrate, that's where predators will follow. I think a lot has to do with the positive reinforcement that kids receive. If you look at a lot of the different ones you'll see that people sign profiles or leave information so there's a lot of positive comments that come back and forth. Why they didn't make the connection in the transition between chat rooms and these? Maybe it's mental maturity. I'm not sure.
In going through some kids' profiles, I saw a lot of information including full names, school names, photos and, in some cases, even cell phone numbers. Does that make it easier for a predator to locate them?
The bits and tidbits that kids leave in these online journals as well as the different places they sign in online can provide information to predators. The child could go to their favorite band sites or whatever it may be. There's a lot of information that kids are leaving online and they don't even realize it.
Obviously, this interview is aimed at parents and teens, but does it concern you as we do stories like this that the predators could be reading this and getting ideas?
Well, we are bringing awareness to the issue on both sides. Any time there's a story on the dangers to something, there's someone on the other side that's listening and paying attention - but awareness is always a necessity, especially for the public, for the industry and for law enforcement.
How smart are these predators? How patient are they and how much effort will they put into tracking down a victim and making contact?
The short answer is that they are very sophisticated and they will put in a lot of time. We've seen cases where children were groomed for a number of years so they can gain the trust, and a lot will start off with like-aged profiles, where the predator will pose as a 13- or 14-year-old boy and it will progress into the adult range, but they will put a lot of time into these situations.
One teen I spoke with said she wasn't worried because none of her friends have ever had a serious problem as a result of their online activities. Can you tell us about a specific case where something did happen?
Most definitely. A child left personal information in an online journal including where she went to school and that she was getting out on a particular day. A predator really did look up that child's journal and actually had never communicated with her. The child had never talked to that predator before. The predator had just been reading the journal, had been bookmarking it continuously and going back. He knew from the journal that both parents worked and knocked on the door and knew the kid would be alone. It's a very dangerous situation.
What are some of the tips that you would give to kids and parents?
First and foremost is to communicate with each other. Know to report these types of situations. Children need to know that if they bring this situation to a parent, the parent won't rip the modem out of the wall or take the keyboard with them to work. The children have to know they can speak up. They have to have rules and limits within the home. Is your child spending four, five or six hours a night on the Internet and if so why? It's one thing if they're doing a research paper but another thing if they're minimizing the screen as you walk by and acting very suspicious. Both kids and parents need to know how to take action, including reporting suspicious activity to the CyberTipline so that we can investigate.
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