Predators' Web to Lure Kids: Online Anonymity
Predators' web to lure kids: Online anonymity By Chuck Biedka VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH The Internet's anonymous nature can encourage some adults to lose control and likewise alter how some children respond to predators, say experts in the field. "There are people who've had fantasies about children, but they've been able to put up external and internal self-controls," said David Delmonico, an associate professor at Duquesne University's School of Education. "People don't know that a lot of predators never approach children. But with the Internet, there is something about the medium. "They feel anonymous, and that is very enticing" and some "progress to act out their fetishes," Delmonico said. The Internet also serves as an "unusual equalizer," with youths sometimes telling adults what to do -- which confuses some adult psyches, he said. In fantasy football or baseball games, "the commissioner can be a 12-year-old, and there are 40-year-old guys contacting the 12-year-old to solve problems and make sure others follow the rules," Delmonico explained. In the computer screen unreality of gaming, kids can lose their ability to discern who they are in society. Like other preteens and teens, young game players also believe they are invulnerable because they feel anonymous -- whether they are or not. They can take or make challenges they otherwise wouldn't, Delmonico said. "Yes. The Internet allows some people to act on their fantasies, which they wouldn't if they didn't believe they were anonymous," said Dr. Janet Squires, director of the Child Advocacy Center at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. At the same time, predators frequently target adolescents who feel "invulnerable, but they are actually ignorant and naive of the facts," she said. This confuses youths, she said. "Some kids get taken advantage of, and sometimes they don't feel they have been victimized." It's like the 14- or 15-year-old girl who claims to be in love with a 40-year-old, she said. Sex may be consensual, but the teen girl is too young to fully understand that she has been abused, said Squires, who has treated area children who have been assaulted by predators. FBI Special Agent Diane Holtz said children shouldn't be allowed to use computers without supervision. Period. "Private Internet access exposes children to danger," she warned. A predator typically lures a youngster by communicating about a subject of apparent interest to the child, Holtz said. When the predator thinks the time is right, "he will test the child by asking questions, such as 'Have you had sex?' and 'Do you have a boyfriend?' " The predator then sends a sex e-mail or uses the child's telephone number if it can be found, Holtz explained. Predators seek to drive a wedge between the child and her family, and then he sets up a meeting, where an abduction happens, the agent said. "If you see IRL in an e-mail or instant message, that's a danger sign," Holtz said. IRL is a teenage slang for "in real life" -- which means, let's visit in person. Squires said parents must be diligent. "We can hope that the legal deterrents work, that people go to jail " and that technicians keep working on page blockers and monitor screens to protect kids, she said. Delmonico said predators have two advantages, which parents easily can eliminate. "Until parents catch on, predators will rely on the naivete of parents who seldom talk with their kids about the technology," he said. Predators also combine tech talk with talk about sex -- and some parents still don't talk with their kids about that, Delmonico said. The problem is getting kids and parents to talk. Chuck Biedka can be reached at cbiedka@tribweb.com or (724) 226-4711. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_451494.html