Original articleOnline Requests for Sexual Pictures from Youth: Risk Factors and Incident Characteristics
Section snippets
Sampling method
The Second Youth Internet Safety Survey (YISS-2) was a national telephone survey of 1,500 youth Internet users conducted between March and June 2005. Households were randomly identified via random digit dialing. A final sample size of 1,500 was pre-determined based upon a maximum expected sampling error of ± 2.5% at the 5% significance level. The response rate was .45 [10]. More details about the YISS-2 methodology can be found elsewhere [9].
Sample and procedures
One caregiver and one youth were surveyed in each
How many youth receive requests for sexual pictures?
Of the 20% (n = 300) of Internet-using youth who reported online victimization, 45% (n = 136) received requests for pictures from the perpetrator. Of these, 48% (n = 65) received requests for sexual pictures; only one youth actually complied. The number receiving requests for sexual pictures in the last year translates into 4% of all Internet-using youth (1 in 25).
How do victimized youth who receive requests for sexual pictures differ from those who do not?
Compared with youth who reported online victimizations that did not involve requests for sexual pictures, youth who received such
Discussion
This study contains important findings about the potential for digital photography to combine with the Internet to greatly expand the creation of child pornography. A substantial number of young Internet users (1 in 25 in a national representative sample) received an online request for sexual pictures in a 1-year period. This involves people asking youth to self-produce child pornography, a significant child welfare problem. In this study, only one youth complied. Many youth are “net-savvy,”
Acknowledgments
For the purposes of compliance with Section 507 of PL 104-208 (the “Stevens Amendment”), readers are advised that 100% of the funds for this program are derived from federal sources. This project was supported by Grant No. 2005-MC-CX-K024 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, and Grant No. HSCEOP-05-P-00346 awarded by the U.S. Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security. The total amount of federal
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