The Impact of Social Media, the Internet, and Legislation on Online Minor Sex Trafficking

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of social media and the internet on the online sex trafficking of minors and assesses the impact of internet laws and legislation designed to stop online sex trafficking. Online sex trafficking of minors has been identified as a significant problem in North America and around the world, generating approximately 32 billion dollars annually. The expansion of the internet over the past 20 years has provided sex traffickers with a new way to conduct business. This article provides a review of the literature (studies, reports, gray material) published between 1996 and 2022. A review of statistics, the role of the trafficker and the characteristics of the victims provide context to the discussion of anti-trafficking laws and legislation. This review was conducted using a critical social theories lens to determine inherent bias in the work, presumed assumptions, structural inequalities, and how the growth of the internet has impacted social change. Findings indicate that the laws and legislation designed to protect victims of sex trafficking have been largely ineffective and that ethical considerations and biased results limit the methodology of many studies.