Youth Internet Users at Risk for the Most Serious Online Sexual Solicitations

BackgroundThis article explores changes in the prevalence of youth Internet users reporting unwanted sexual solicitations between 2000 and 2005, as well as the risk factors related to reports of the most serious solicitations, aggressive solicitations, in which solicitors attempted or made offline contact with youth.MethodsData were collected from two cross-sectional random-digit-dial telephone surveys of Internet-using youth (aged 10 to 17) in the United States.ResultsAlthough sexual solicitations declined overall since 2000, in 2005 youth were 1.7 times more likely to report aggressive solicitations, even when adjusting for changes in demographic and Internet-use characteristics. Risk factors for aggressive solicitations included being female, using chat rooms, using the Internet with a cell phone, talking with people met online, sending personal information to people met online, talking about sex online, and experiencing offline physical or sexual abuse.ConclusionsFurther research is warranted into the implications of aggressive online sexual solicitation and how to address and prevent such experiences.