The National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction

APPENDIX FSYNTHESIS OF MAJOR STUDIESIn 2009, the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress prepared a synthesis of majorstudies surrounding Internet crimes against children using funding from the National Institute ofJustice. As previously noted, the inclusion of any study or project does not indicate that theDepartment supports the conclusions of such study or project.Research conducted relative to Internet crimes against children can be grouped into severalsubtopics: unwanted solicitation for sexual contact or pictures; pornography (children as thesubject); harassment and bullying; and unwanted exposure to sexually explicit material. Many ofthe studies described in this document have been conducted by researchers affiliated with theCrimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire who extrapolateddata from the First (2000) and Second (2005) Youth Internet Safety Survey. These surveyscanvassed a nationally representative sample of 1,500 youth ages 10 to 17 to determine theincidence and risk factors of youth exposure to sexual material on the Internet. Researchers alsoextrapolated data from the National Juvenile Online Victimization Study, which was intended toestimate the incidence of Internet sex crimes against minors occurring during a one-year period(2000–2001) that were known to law enforcement officials. This bibliography reviews thefindings of the studies conducted using these surveys, as well as other surveys conducted for thepurpose of identifying the patterns and frequency of criminal use of the Internet involvingchildren. The bibliography also reviews the results of focus-group studies, literature reviews, andreports commissioned by the U.S. Congress.The purpose of the studies, surveys, and reports reviewed herein was multifaceted. Researchersprimarily sought to determine how frequently children view sexually explicit material online andare approached for sexual activity online, as well as the demographics of the vulnerablepopulations. They also wanted to identify what specific crimes were being committed, and bywhom, the role law enforcement plays in curtailing and preventing these activities, and whatinfluence pornography and sexualized material have on the moral values and sexual attitudes ofchildren and youth. They looked at broader issues as well: how children use the Internetgenerally (as compared with adults) and what role family dynamics and the parent–childrelationship play in the prevention of Internet crime. Some of the studies examine a particularaspect of Internet crimes against children. For example, Patricia M. Greenfield, in testimonybefore Congress, addressed the role of peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. She concludes that thenetworks are part of a pervasive, sexualized media environment that leads to inadvertentexposure of children and youth to pornography and other adult sexual content. In 2003 the U.S.General Accounting Office reported that child pornography is easily found and downloaded frompeer-to-peer networks, confirming observations of the National Center for Missing & ExploitedChildren.Other researchers looked at one aspect of online sexual exploitation —the grooming of childrenby adult predators. Ilene R. Berson and Duncan Brown, in their articles, describe how onlinepredators use deceptive techniques to gain a young child’s trust and manipulate him or her intoviewing pornography and agreeing to a personal meeting. Janis Wolak, David Finkelhor, andKimberly J. Mitchell, in “Internet-Initiated Sex Crimes Against Minors,” describe characteristicsF-1