It is important that parents are informed about the behavior of minors online and help them internalize what is correct, what could cause emotional harm to a third party and even what could have a psychological, economic, legal or social impact.
For this reason, Infobae brings a special of pedophiles and their actions that are leading children to fall into risks on the internet.
Risks faced by children
The main risks that a child could have in not taking care of their personal information on a digital platform or on social networks is their integrity. As is known, there are many pedophiles and even pedophiles in these places who pose as children of the same age and seek to fit the needs of the child.
For example, “if the child does not have a father figure, the pedophile will pass himself off as a new company in order to acquire Facebook or Instagram information or, worse yet, obtain the minor’s cell phone number,” said Argelia Juárez, a teacher. and psychologist with pedagogical leveling in the Ministry of Public Education of the Mexican Government.
How pedophiles or pederasts act on the internet
Groomers or cyberbullies get closer to their victims and create bonds of friendship, empathy, solidarity and more with minors, posing as a totally false personality. In exchange, what they want is to obtain photographs, videos, pornographic or sexual content, perhaps even meet these minors.
“The main problem with its detection is how easy it is to get a fake identity online and hide the real one. As a result, it is difficult for the police to identify these people and eliminate this threat,” said Sonia Altamirano, a digital security expert at CompuKaed and a computer teacher at the Mater Purissima school in Lima, Peru.
Fabio Assolini, Senior Security Analyst for Latin America at Kaspersky, recalled the case of a child who enjoyed an online video game that had a chat function where participants could communicate.
“After a while, the father realized that the boy had been talking to a man for a long time – who was also in this video game – and had made sexual proposals to the boy through the video game chat.”
It should be noted that cyberbullies use various manipulation techniques to achieve their own goals, spending weeks or even months talking to minors.
As soon as they gain enough trust and establish an emotional connection, that’s when they start asking for personal things, private data, photos and more. And that’s when the blackmail and the real danger begins.
“Adolescents find themselves between a rock and a hard place, because many times for fear of talking about it with adults, for fear of punishment, they allow the problem to worsen, without help, and end up having serious psychological consequences. The fear or shame in case this content is published can even lead them to commit suicide”, explains the teacher.
Victim Profile
Maltreatment involves interference with a child’s development. It is a traumatic experience that causes very serious damage, both physical and psychological, to the victim. This is also something that happens more often than expected.
“It is estimated that around 10 or 25% of the adult population has suffered some type of sexual abuse at some point in their childhood. Or, to be more exact, one in four girls and one in eight boys under 12 years of age”, says Altamirano.
Child abuse occurs across all social classes, cultural or racial backgrounds, and in all sectors of society. It is very common for them to happen to a minor relative (father or acquaintance).
Children most at risk of abuse are those who have a reduced ability to react or perceive what is happening, such as those who cannot speak or have an underlying disability. Also people who belong to families with constant problems and who are victims of mistreatment.
Aggressor profile
In general, they do not usually show strange behaviors, which makes it difficult to obtain an accurate profile. However, there are some important features. Many people have low self-esteem and feel safer with minors.
“They are usually men, mostly adults between 30 and 50 years of age, who use trust, knowledge and deception as strategies to control their victims,” says the psychologist.
Most abusers are victims of children they already know, although the Internet has increased the number of unknown attackers.
