How many people do you know who have had their credit cards, bank accounts or computers hacked, or have had their identity stolen? According to the Bureau of Justice, about 22% of people have experienced identity theft in their lifetime.1 If adults can be easily tricked, how much more could our children? According to Guardchild.com, 20% of teenage internet users have been the target of unwanted sexual solicitation.2
According to the Child Crime Prevention and Safety Center, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) estimates over 50% of the victims of online sexual exploitation are between the ages of 12 and 15, and an estimated 89% of sexual advances directed at children occur in internet chatrooms or through instant messaging.3 As parents become busier, children have more freedom to spend a great deal of time online playing video games with their friends and socializing on various apps. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, children ages 8-12 in the US spend 4-6 hours a day watching or using screens and teens spend up to 9 hours.4 That’s a staggering number considering the amount of time children are vulnerable to predators online.
The more disturbing factors are that children and teens are vulnerable because they lack experience and have a false sense of security that they are invincible. This becomes more prevalent as they develop their own identity online and have the flexibility to portray themselves as older or more mature. Kids want to grow up so quickly and often think it’s cool to do things that they know their parents may not approve of. When parents say no, kids usually respond by trying to see if they can get away with it. It’s human nature for children to press the boundaries and it’s our job as knowledgeable parents and adults to protect them.
- 71% of teen girls and 67% of teen boys have sent or posted sexually suggestive content
- Only 15% of parents are “in the know” about their kid’s social networking habits
- 86% of girls claimed to have online chats without their parents knowing
- 90% of children ages 8-16 have seen online pornography
- 65% of children ages 14-18 have been involved in a cyber-bullying incident
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1 – https://bjs.ojp.gov/press-release/victims-identity-theft2021#:~:text=As%20of%202021%2C%20about%201,email%20or%20social%20media%20account
2 – https://www.guardchild.com/statistics/
3 – https://childsafety.losangelescriminallawyer.pro/children-and-grooming-online-predators.html
4 – https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-And-Watching-TV054.aspx#:~:text=Screen%20Time%20and%20Children&text=Children%20and%20adolescents%20spend%20a,spend%20up%20to%209%20 hours.