Turns Out Social Networks Aren't Breeding Grounds For Sexual Predators
from the won't-stop-politician-grandstanding dept
Over the past few years there has been a huge number of grandstanding politicians claiming that social networks like Facebook and MySpace were breeding grounds for online predators, who were trying to entice children. They've been pushing for new laws, basically so they can get into the papers along with some quip about how they are out there protecting "the children." Of course, it turns out that the entire premise is faulty. A few years back we pointed to a study that showed the problem was entirely exaggerated. Very few kids were approached by predators and most who were could easily brush it off, so long as they had been educated about the risks. Now there's a new study out going even deeper in noting that sexual predators are unlikely to pretend to be teenagers using social networks, but rather are very upfront about who they are and what they want. In most cases, the victims knew that they were chatting with an older person, and believed that they were in a legitimate relationship, rather than being tricked. Once again, this suggests that all the hype and new laws being proposed to deal with the "problem" of predators on social networks are misplaced. The focus should be on basic education. Teach kids to have some "internet smarts" and they're probably going to be just fine.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: predators, social networks
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Not just "internet smarts" . . .
The solutions to such issues are education, openness with your kids and actually checking up on what they're doing - exactly the same, in fact, as in the real world. I'm tired of the "internet boogeyman" being brought out any time there's an issue that has nothing to do with technology in particular, and everything to do with life and the world in general.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Nah - the Gen X parents had a meeting and decided
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Nah - the Gen X parents had a meeting and deci
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Nah - the Gen X parents had a meeting and
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Surprise
News to me.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Does Techdirt ever say anything constructive?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Does Techdirt ever say anything constructive?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Does Techdirt ever say anything constructi
But then I reserve no right to blame anyone else for my kids growing up not prepared to face the real world.
All you have to be is a good role model at home, so your kids don't go looking for Role Models in "50 Cent" and "Paris Hilton".
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Does Techdirt ever say anything constructive?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Does Techdirt ever say anything constructive?
News flash - that's not possible. The governmental agencies that deal with crime, safety, etc., are punitive, not preventative. Passing a law to "protect children" is fallacious from the very start; laws don't protect children. People do.
The government's role is to *punish* people who break laws. The *parents'* role is to instill in their children the knowledge and behaviors that allow them to protect *themselves*.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Does Techdirt ever say anything constructive?
You can't prevent accidents/maliciousness or any other natural part of the human social group experience.
But you can punish bad behavior and educate the public about risks.
But the decision about whether or not to take a risk, including being dumb enough to put your real name on a social networking site, is solely for you to gauge and make.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Safety Nazis
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Any effort to reign in sexual predators that relies on hunches and gut feelings is misguided at best. Why would you support measures that will fail to accomplish their goals because the people who wrote the measures don't understand the problem?
It's very similar to how some people "know" that violent video games lead to real life violence, even though all the studies show no link. Lack of evidence doesn't stop them from trying to put measures and laws in place. And in no surprise whatsoever, those measures fail to work.
Passing laws to "protect the children" has become a crutch for politicians to pass laws that illegally infringe on free speech and the Supreme Court keeps throwing most of them out.
"it is all the victim's fault."
No, it's a weird exclusion that the internet is given to the common sense rules that parents teach their kids. 'Don't talk to strangers' was always a big one when I was growing up. Somewhere along the way, I guess someone added 'except on the internet' in invisible ink.
Most of us are tired of our government trying to pass laws that attempt to legislate parenting. If you don't want your kids talking to strangers in chat rooms, the solution is educating them and enforcing the rules that parents are supposed to establish.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
I thought the "specific courses of action" was fairly self-evident:
1. Stop blaming technology for social problems. It's the people abusing the technology who are breaking the law.
2. Stop trying to legislate parenting. It is not the government's job to make sure that your values are instilled in your kids.
3. If you want laws passed to help stop sexual predators, base them on reliable studies and facts instead of unsupported opinions and hunches.
4. Educate your kids and enforce the household rules.
5. Try parenting. Don't throw your kids in front of the tv or computer and forget about them.
I'm not sure how you qualify the statements as grandstanding when in reality they're a call for common sense. Why is it grandstanding to suggest we not pass laws based on false assumptions?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
You don't, because you can't. You can pass laws that help impede a murderer from accomplishing his goals, but you can't stop everyone. And some of those laws are inherently flawed as well.
Take, for instance, the Gun-Free School Zone act. While it provides a penalty for someone found with a handgun in a school zone, it also ensures that law-abiding citizens are defenseless when a school shooting occurs. Murderers don't care about laws that stop them from killing.
And to answer your sarcastically posed question: yes, some murderers are the products of poor parenting, or lack of parenting. That's why the automatic first response to early school shootings was to blame video games for desensitizing the kids. Sure some people asked how the parents could not know their kids had purchased handguns months beforehand or had assembled pipe bombs in the basement, but the immediate outrage was against video games.
Your responses to these posts seem to indicate that you favor the "throw it against the wall and see what sticks" method of legislating, regardless of their merit. Pass as much legislation as possible, and hope something works.
If you're going to try and play devil's advocate, could you at least put a little effort into it? Referring to all my points as "vague appeals" is fairly pathetic, and makes you look silly.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Are you playing devils advocate again. You must know that what is being said here is that we as grow adults (parents) must learn to take responsibility for our actions and teach our children. Throughout history every society that has allowed the government to run their lives has failed. We do not want America to be the next. As a people we need to stand up and say enough is enough. We want our freedom! If my child needs a spanking than a spanking is what he/she will get, because I love them to much to allow them to grow up without discipline.
P.S. Why do you read on a web site that so offends your sensibilities?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
My two cents... (LONG VERSION)
That said... ADULTS are the ones that have to PROTECT themselves! These little creatures or as some call them, "Blessings from God" LIE ABOUT THEIR AGE! While a sex offender is BANNED from going on ANY social group! Guess what - for the people out there who think that's good... From the moment you start chatting with someone online - and she declares that she is 20 years old - and it turns out that she is ACTUALLY 13 - YOU ARE NOW OFFICIALLY A PREDATOR !!! As PER, THE LETTER OF THE LAW!!! Why? Because - IT HAPPENED ONLINE... AND SOMEHOW - YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT IT WAS A "HELPLESS" CHILD - THAT YOU ARE TALKING TO!!!
This hits me on a personal level... I am a victim of someone who was lied to - and labeled... All because some helpless WHORE wanted to get laid! In my case - I actually talked to the girl's MOTHER! I told her - I was tired because I had DRIVEN from NYS, where I worked, SECURITY - to (Almost) PITTSBURGH! The mom said, I know my girl will be ok with you - and I hope that sometime we can meet... To which I agreed!
I didn't know this women from ANYWHERE - this was the FIRST and ONLY conversation I ever had with her... As it turned out - "HELPLESS" "INNOCENT" GIRL - had - MANIPULATED her mom into believing that I WAS SOMEONE ELSE - BY THE SAME NAME!!!
I GOT THROWN IN JAIL(1 YEAR) - I AM LABELED FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE! I'm stuck within the confines of the 5 boroughs - NOT TO LEAVE until Probation is over (5 years) - I have to attend classes for "Sexual Predators" - I have to meet with Probation EVERY WEEK! I CANT KEEP A JOB - BECAUSE - IT IS THERE - IF I DO GET A JOB - I HAVE TO BE EXCUSED TWICE A WEEK - EVERY WEEK! WHICH USUALLY - GETS ME FIRED!
AND FOR WHAT??? A story that we have ALL HEARD - TIME AND TIME AGAIN!!! GIRL LIED ABOUT HER AGE - SO and SO - GOT BUSTED WITH A GIRL THAT LIED ABOUT HER AGE!!! The detective asked me how this all happened... When I told him everything... HE ACTUALLY SAID - DID I CHECK HER ID... MY PAID LAWYER SAID... YOU ARE THE ADULT - AS FAR AS LAW GOES - YOU SHOULD OF CHECKED HER ID!!!
Now - I WONT DATE ANYONE - I MEET ONLY WITH PEOPLE THAT I HAVE KNOWN FOR YEARS!!! Because another plus of the label... IF something should happen that involves someone else - say, "an altercation" on ANY level... I am AUTOMATICALLY WRONG!
I AM NO LONGER A MAN...
HERE IS MY IDEA ON HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM...
ONE SIMPLE LAW THAT SHOULD BE MANDATORY! COMPUTER IS TO BE PLACED IN THE LIVING ROOM - WHERE EVERYONE CAN SEE WHAT "HELPLESS" ONE IS DOING - ONLINE! IF YOUR HELPLESS ONE - FALLS VICTIM TO SOME CRAP ONLINE... ARREST THE PARENTS!!! BLATANT NEGLIGENCE & ENDANGERING THE WELFARE OF A CHILD!
END OF STORY!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
My two cents... (SHORT VERSION)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
My two cents... (SHORT VERSION)
ONE SIMPLE LAW THAT SHOULD BE MANDATORY! COMPUTER IS TO BE PLACED IN THE LIVING ROOM - WHERE EVERYONE CAN SEE WHAT "HELPLESS" ONE IS DOING - ONLINE! IF YOUR HELPLESS ONE - FALLS VICTIM TO SOME CRAP ONLINE... ARREST THE PARENTS!!! BLATANT NEGLIGENCE & ENDANGERING THE WELFARE OF A CHILD!
END OF STORY!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
There's a reason for this...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: There's a reason for this...
For Adults... Don't be ignorant... IT HAPPENED TO ME - IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU! I WAS ONLINE BEFORE AOL - And yet sometime after CompuServ (About 25 years - with a dial-up modem that was 300 Baud Rate on a Commodore 64...)Social groups were few - and LOCAL... We all hear about people going out with young girl thinking that they were older - and getting busted! Yet, when this tramp lied about her age... I FELL FOR IT!
I bet she's still whoring around... Meanwhile, I'm scared for LIFE!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
confiscate this idiot's computer
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
ONE SIMPLE LAW THAT SHOULD BE MANDATORY! COMPUTER IS TO BE PLACED IN MY LIVING ROOM. WHERE I CAN WATCH THE CUTE LITTLE KIDDIES USE IT. SAFETY IS JOB ONE
rolls eyes and adjusts tin foil hat accordingly
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Are you talking about keeping an eye on your Cute Little Kiddie using it??? I'm not sure if that was intentional - but - WTF! YOUR KID(s)!!!
You know what... DO IT! At least this way - you can be the only one to screw your kid... Instead of your kid screwing with someone else.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Oh it's Very Real. We have Proof!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Oh it's Very Real. We have Proof!
Scary that !
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
That prevents crime. It prevents that pervert from ever doing it again.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
It is insane that we allow guns to be sold over the Internet. Sure, maybe they would have gotten guns from someplace else, but lets at least make wack jobs work for it, huh?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
"It is insane that we allow guns to be sold over the Internet"
Why? Either in-store or online purchase requires a background check, and there is no evidence that the gun dealer acted improperly in either case.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
If you know someone is mentally unstable - and has a gun - and you don't say anything... YOU WILL PAY!!! YOU WILL GOTO JAIL - as an accomplice - and - Neglect...
There goes a new spin on the New York Slogan "If you see something Say Something" If you see something say something - OR ELSE - GOTO JAIL FOR NEGLECT AND BEING AN Accessory for murder - make these things a Class D Felony! Force these people to pay restitution - for crimes which could have been avoided!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Laws can and do prevent crime.
Some laws prevent crime, some don't, and some even facilitate it. What's your point?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
As for the death penalty, it doesn't seem to do much to reduce overall crime.
What reduces crime is Education, it's amazing how people don't see how investing in good, solid education pays for itself by reducing crime, not to mention through a host of other benefits.
Also, the average US worker works more hours than just about any civilized nation except Japan. If you want to talk family values, give people TIME to be with their families, and make sure they're not so mentally and emotionally exhausted from work that they just feel like parking their kids in front of the TV.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
For those of you that don't understand, you have parents influence and you have peer pressure. Also, sometimes kids do stupid things (I know I did)
Whats that all mean? Do I expect my kids to be perfect? Do I expect them to never do something stupid? Of course not, but why as a society would we want to make it easy for others to harm them?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Who said anything about making it easy for others to harm kids? All I'm arguing against is knee-jerk legislation that relies on assumptions based on faulty logic and opinion rather than studies and facts.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
So use basic online smarts. If you encounter someone under 30...end all conversation and back slowly away...
END OF STORY
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Sex Offender Issues
"The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people. As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation." - Adolph Hitler (Mein Kampf)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]