Sextortion and Teens
One particularly disturbing case of extortion involved malware infecting home computers, which allowed the man who wrote the software to gain control of video cameras to take explicit videos and photos of people changing clothes and even having sex. He was also able to access private videos and photos without the knowledge of the computer's owner. He has been caught and his case is currently pending.
Several cases have involved men accessing photos from teenage girls. Once they have the photos they begin sending threatening messages to the girls. They threaten that they'll spread the photos to the girl's friends and families unless they provide more photos and sometimes videos. The demands increase and become more explicit over time, until the teen decides to not cooperate with the blackmailer anymore.
Police and child safety advocates are trying to spread awareness to teens in hopes of preventing more cases. Whether the teens post the photos on a public forum, send them as text messages, or have them saved as private in photo album software like flickr, it doesn't matter. Hackers can access password protected files and personal information.
Parents can help protect their children by discussing the topic with them, watching for signs that their child is unusually stressed, limiting access to digital recording devices, and checking their child's internet history. Any teen with a phone will pretty much have access to a digital camera, but web cams can easily be removed from desktop computers. Some laptops have built in web cams, which may make monitoring the camera's use more difficult.
When talking with teens be honest and don't talk down to them. Avoid being confrontational, or the teen may not want to share thoughts and concerns with you.
Sources:
Sextortion Child Safety Advocate Warns Teens, http://www.newsoxy.com/technology/sextortion-child-safety-advocate-14243.html
Feds: Teen 'sextortion' rising, http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/08/14/us_sextortion_teens
Published by Laura Munion
I am a freelance writer in Ohio. I specialize in writing about health and fitness topics. My areas of expertise are dental health, autism, and fitness. I have a Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering... View profile
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2 Comments
Post a CommentKids do have to become responsible for themselves at some point, but they need someone to learn from. I think that parents need to educate their kids on why certain behaviors aren't acceptable.
Teenagers in the past didn't have the means to do the things that teens today do. Would they have done things differently, even with today's technology? Probably somewhat, but I think it would have posed some problems for them as well. I don't think an 11 year old has the common sense, maturity, or social awareness to be held fully responsible for their actions.
I'm sure that lax discipline and catering to a child's every need contributes to these problems, but I don't know that kids deserve the brunt of the blame for how their parents raised them.
Thanks for sharing your comment though! I agree that older teens need to take on more of the responsibilty for their actions.
Society, as usual, puts the blame on the wrong people. The blame should be placed squarely on the teenagers that behave not like the teenagers of old. Some reports call them victims, when in reality they are the root of the problem. In CA, two 11 year olds got out of their home at night when their moms were sleeping, most likely, to have sex and they ended up death. You lay in the same bed that you prepare. The solution? Bring back the paddle and must likely the problem will go away. Continue to think of sexdreiven minors as victims and the problem will only get worst.