Original articleTrends in Youth Internet Victimization: Findings From Three Youth Internet Safety Surveys 2000–2010
Section snippets
Methods
The YISS-1, YISS-2, and YISS-3 studies were conducted to quantify and detail youth experiences with unwanted or problematic Internet experiences, including sexual solicitations, harassment, and unwanted exposure to pornography on the Internet. Respondents in the YISS studies were youth between 10 and 17 years who had used the Internet at least once a month for the past 6 months, and a caregiver. Abt Schulman, Ronca, and Bucuvalas, Inc, a national survey research firm, conducted the sampling,
Results
There were significant changes in youth reporting unwanted or problematic experiences using Internet technology across the 2000, 2005, and 2010 YISS studies, but they varied according to the type of problem experienced (Figure 1). Unwanted sexual solicitations declined from 19% in 2000 to 13% in 2005, and finally to 9% in 2010; thus, there was a total 50% decline in reports of this problem between 2000 and 2010. However, aggressive solicitations (in which offline contact was attempted or made)
Discussion
The current intensive media attention to the problem of Internet safety can sometimes give the impression that Internet risks are increasing for youth. However, for two out of three online problems measured by YISS-3 in 2010, rates decreased when compared with earlier studies. A decreasing trend was identified for unwanted sexual solicitations of youth online, and also for unwanted exposure to pornography by youth, but a steady and significant increase in online harassment was identified as
Conclusions
Findings from the YISS studies suggest that trends in youth online unwanted experiences may contradict impressions that the general population, professionals, and the media have about what is happening. It is important that such trend data be collected and disseminated by professionals, integrated into prevention directions and material, and used to inform policy. Problems that have been highlighted and may cause parents to be reluctant to let their youth use the Internet are relatively
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 number 2009-SN-B9-0002 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The total amount of federal funding involved is $734,900. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the authors and
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