Public Enemy - The Sexual Predator

                                                                                         

A Definition of a PREDATOR (Answers.com)
1. An organism that lives by preying on other organisms.
2. One that victimizes, plunders, or destroys, especially for one's own gain.

Probably the scariest danger of the Internet is that with all the prevalent sexual material comes the sexual predator. The predator is a slick and wily character cloaked in sheep clothing and lurking in common child populated areas of the Net. Not long ago we saw commercials and TV shows about the predator hanging out at the playground. Well, now they don't have to leave the privacy of their own homes. They can prey at any number of online playgrounds without the fear of exposure.

Unfortunately, the very nature of children make them more susceptible to this sort of individual. Children lack emotional maturity that allows them to be more easily manipulated and intimidated. Couple that with a strong sense of belonging and the need to be accepted which can further compound the issue. Also, children are taught from an early age that they are to obey adults -- granted we, also, teach our children to not talk to strangers. However, a sexual predator can easily manipulate a child into thinking that they are a safe adult, or even possibly, an adult that they know and trust.

There are two categories of children who are most susceptible to developing unhealthy and potentially dangerous online relationships. They are:

1. Children who experience high parent-child conflict at home.

2. Children who are detached and experience little or low parental communication.

Children who communicate well with their family and friends, and have people to talk to about online encounters, have a much higher success rate when it comes to understanding appropriate and inappropriate online behavior.

So what are the characteristics of the average predator? Surprisingly, they are different than most people envision. Most often we think the predator is an older middle-aged man. This is just not the case. The average predator is between the ages of 18-25. Only a mere 4% are known to be older than 25. Approximately 2/3rds of predators are male, while an alarming 1/3rd are female.

Download my free ebook detailing the 4 top dangers your children face while online: http://www.childsafesolutions.com/pdf/special_report.pdf

About the author:
You can get "How to Keep Your Child Safe on the Internet", a free 5-part mini-course, here: http://www.childsafesolutions.com

Download my free ebook detailing the 4 top dangers your children face while online: Here

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