Internet and cell phone usage associated with risky situations of child sexual exploitation.

Abstract

This paper reports on a research project designed to Identify the uses of the Internet and cellular telephony that could place children at risk of contact with situations associated with sexual exploitation: hooking up on line, consumption of pornography and the production of humiliating, sexualized images. The questionnaires were administered to 147 adolescents with an overage age of 13 years and 3 months. Results: A total of 66.2% of the boys and 71.4% of the girls reported having Facebook, followed by Hi5 (69%) and My Space (43.3%). Teenagers were observed to provide their real names (64.7% of boys and 78% of girls) and actual ages In social networks. A total of 79.6% of the respondents reported that they liked to talk on Chat or Messenger, while a significant percentage (64.1 %) had done so with strangers. A total of 53.1 % of the population reported having met a friend with a sexualized Image of their person through a cell phone (28.6 of boys and 1 1.6% of girls). These Images were usually shared with friends (reported by 77.1% of boys and 62.8% of girls). But others were uploaded onto the Internet (34.3% of boys and 37.2% of women) and a minority were sold (8.6% of boys and 2.3% of girls). The paper Indicates that true information on the person provided with no restrictions whatsoever by adolescents In social networks and their interaction with strangers in chats are Indicators of unsafe Web browsing. Qualitative research results indicate that these acts occur when teenagers ore seeking popularity. The paper also discusses teenagers' consumption of pornography as a type of manhood that Is "hot" by nature and shows that the production of sexualized images occurs in contexts where amusement Is combined with sexual transgression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)