My Essays

Online Sexual Predators and Teens

                                                                Online Sexual Predators and Teens

                   It's no secret that teens are online every day. They post, tweet, snap, chat, watch, search, game, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. Online, there are countless places and things for a teen or pre-teen to explore, learn and play with. But with the endless possibilities, there's bound to be some danger. Every day thousands of predators browse the internet and social media searching for their new victim. These men and women search for young boys and girls that they are able to manipulate into doing sexual activities online or even offline. Online sexual predators are a real issue to any child, pre-teen, or teen on the internet. Many manipulate the teens and pre-teens to strip for them during a webchat or send them nude pictures. Online sexual predators are everywhere and they're hard to catch. Despite being told of dangers, many people don't know exactly what an online sexual predator truly is or what they look for, why it's even an issue, or what to do about it. Which is why people need to be informed of the issue and the risks it involves.

                  Online, a sexual predator can be almost anyone. But, according to a 2015 study by Jasinski and Navarro, most online sexual predators are under thirty years old, are Caucasian, employed, single, and have a high school education or less (Jasinski and Navarro 761). But while these are the majority, it is important to note that the predators aren't limited to these attributes. Although a predator can be anyone, there are several things that many predators consistently look for when choosing a victim. The predator looks for low self-esteem, bad grades, previous sexual abuse, disconnection from parents, and emotional or intellectual immaturity (Dean 16). Predators look for these specifics in their victims and use them to prey on and manipulate teens. Many teens and pre-teens are pulled into exploitation through unknowingly chatting with predators and being promised payment for posing nude or semi-nude (Dean 11). When this happens, a teen may feel as if they are alone in what they are going through, but the sad truth of the matter is that they aren't. Studies show that of teens who regularly use the internet, one in seven say they have received "unwarranted sexual solicitation" (McCoy). Of those teens and pre-teens roughly seventy percent are girls, and thirty percent are boys (YPAD). But even with these high numbers, seventy five percent of kids do not tell a parent when a predator has reached out to them (McCoy).

                  Despite the proof behind the issue of online sexual predators and teens, many turn a blind eye, or disregard the issue when they shouldn't. It is a real issue that needs a solution. All over the globe, teens and pre-teens with access to the internet are being taken advantage of. They're young and curious, and when the predators find these teens and preys on their curiosities, it's only a matter of time before something happens. In Stephen Dean's book 'Sexual Predators: How to Recognize Them on the Internet and on the Street: How to Keep Your Kids Away', he includes a story of a young man- Justin Berry- who went through his teen years being taken advantage of by an online sexual predator. The predator found Justin Berry when he was only thirteen and convinced him to take his shirt off for fifty dollars. Berry did this and that was the beginning of being sexually exploited by the predator. Throughout his teen years, Berry was paid to strip and do unspeakable acts with 'his friend' and others. There was even a website for him. Quickly Berry became rich through these acts and when his father found out, he didn't help Berry get out of it, he helped hire women to participate in these sexual acts with for the website. Berry went through his entire teen years being paid to be exploited and was only able to escape once he was nineteen (Dean 11).

             Justin Berry's story isn't the only one like this. Everywhere there are vulnerable teens on the internet and predators searching for them. The internet should be a safe place for teens and pre-teens to explore who they are and who they want to become, but oftentimes, when a teen is exploring online, they become prey to the predators who only wish to cause them harm. It also doesn't help that the predators disguise themselves as friends to their victims. The teens don't know that what they're doing is bad, and if their "friend" (the predator) spoils them as they often do, it's doubtful that the teen would think anything of it. As journalist Nancy Sales states, "On social media, things which once might have been considered outrageous or disturbing come to seem normal very quickly through widespread repetition" (Sales 4). Many teens think that they'd never be the victim, or that they'd never talk to a stranger online, but then they see people they follow posting about their internet friends and think 'what's the harm in a few messages?' Usually there isn't harm in a few messages, or conversing with someone half way across the globe, but when as many as one in five teens and children have been approached by a pedophile online, one must be careful ("stop online predators"). The fact that online sexual predators are such a large issue and that they keep a teen from feeling completely comfortable doing things on the internet is a large example of why they are an issue.