Young People, Sexual Content and Solicitation Online

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Abstract

Young people can potentially be exposed to sexual material from a variety of sources, both accidentally and purposefully. One such source, the internet, plays host to a vast array of information and imagery, among which sexually explicit material and pornography are in high concentration. Indeed within this virtual catalogue of material it is possible to find both adult and child pornography, particularly if one is aware of the correct methods of accessing such content. This chapter provides an in-depth overview of current knowledge regarding young people’s exposure to and experiences of sexual material and sexual predators online, including those particular aspects of young people’s online interactions that make them vulnerable to receive unwanted sexual material and solicitation. The authors then discuss the use of the Internet for the sexual exploitation of children and young people both in the nature of sexual material to which they are exposed to online including the transmission of images of child pornography and molestation, the processes by which young people access sexual material online, the solicitation of children by sexual predators in targeting young people and how young people in turn come to interact with sexual predators online. Finally they address current mechanisms designed to protect children and young people as they engage in online activities.