The Internet Safety Technical Task Force warned the public over the proliferation of sexual predators who are using the Internet to target their victims who are mostly children and young adults.
According to Progress & Freedom Foundation senior officer Adam Thierrer, there is no single solution to address the online safety issue, adding that technology can only provide minimal help but will not solve the overall problem.
According to the group, parental guidance, government policy, and proper education are the right keys that can protect young people from sexual abuse.
A recent published report revealed that one in five minors have received indecent proposals, but 90 percent of these came from their peers or older youths, and the remaining 10 percent only came from adults.
On January 20, the group will discuss the Internet safety issue for young people in Washington, D.C.
These are some facts stated by the report:
· The common belief that adult men are those sexual predators who prey on young children proved to be not the usual case as majority of sexual solicitations are between minors.
· Two-thirds of all sexual solicitations have no real meet-up.
· There is a gradual decline of online solicitation cases over the past couple of years.
· Girls belonging from the age group of 14-17 are the most common targets of people soliciting sex through the Internet
· Instant messaging and chat rooms are the most preferred place of people soliciting sex. Meanwhile, the popularity of online communities such as Facebook and MySpace does not affect sexual solicitation activities.
· The risk for young people is linked to their psychological state rather than the Internet platform they are using.
· Poor relations with parents make children more vulnerable to online threats.
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