Referred to variously as technopanic, predator panic, cyberbullying panic, etc., a lot of fear and anxiety has developed around the intersection of youth and the Internet. Very interestingly, last fall David Finkelhor – director of the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center (CCRC) and lead author of the US's first national study on youth risk online in 2000 – used … [Read more...] about ‘Juvenoia,’ Part 1: Why Internet fear is overrated
Crimes Against Children Research Center
Continuing decline in child sexual abuse
In a talk we ConnectSafely folk give, we have a slide with the question, "Has the growth in young people's use of the Internet correlated with a rise in sexual abuse against children?" We follow that with an emphatic "no" and a chart from the Crimes Against Children Research Center (CCRC) at the University of New Hampshire that actually shows a 51% decline in child sexual victimization in the US … [Read more...] about Continuing decline in child sexual abuse
Youth online risk: Accurate reporting
It's always refreshing to see solid reporting where online kids and parenting are concerned! The main takeaway from this Rome (Ga.) News-Tribune article is that, yes, social media represent a new challenge for parents, but we can usually handle it just fine and here's how. It tells of how a local couple with six children of ages ranging from 6 to 19 – all but the youngest of whom "have a cell … [Read more...] about Youth online risk: Accurate reporting
‘Overparenting backlash’ & predator fears
It's an interesting juxtoposition, Time magazine's article about a helicopter-parenting backlash and a study showing that nearly two-thirds of US parents are concerned about online predators (see USNews.com). Which is bigger? I suspect predator fears are a bigger phenomenon, unfortunately – despite research at the Crimes Against Children Research Center "finding no evidence online predators were … [Read more...] about ‘Overparenting backlash’ & predator fears
Predators: Parents really can worry less
Be alert, certainly be engaged, but let's be realistic, is my takeaway from an interview Lenore Skenazy - syndicated columnist and author of Free Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts With Worry - gave Salon.com. I'm going to quote a chunk about predators in full because it's good to hear a prominent voice correctly citing the research for a change. Her … [Read more...] about Predators: Parents really can worry less