ARTICLES

Grooming Cybervictims:
The Psychosocial Effects
of Online Exploitation for Youth
Ilene R. Berson

ABSTRACT. The social and cultural communities of the Internet pro-

vide a virtual venue with unique perspectives on power, identity, and
gender. This paper presents an overview of the benefits and risks of
Web-based interactions for youth. As an illustrative example, the
psychosocial effects of online grooming practices which are designed to

Ilene R. Berson is Assistant Professor in the Department of Child and Family

Studies at the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of
South Florida in Tampa and serves as Director of the Consortium for Child Welfare
Studies. She is a member of the United Nation’s Education, Scientific, and Cultural Or-
ganization (UNESCO) North American Child Health Task Force Advisory Committee
on Internet Safety. Ilene’s research focuses on children’s online safety and the creation
of safe, supportive school environments for child victims. She can be contacted at The
University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, Depart-
ment of Child and Family Studies, 13301 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, FL
33612 (E-mail: [email protected]).
The ongoing investigation of children’s activity in cyberspace, including mental
health implications and protective interventions, was partially supported by the Uni-
versity of South Florida Collaborative for Children, Families, and Communities and
the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County.

Journal of School Violence, Vol. 2(1) 2003

http://www.haworthpress.com/store/product.asp?sku=J202
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6 JOURNAL OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE

lure and exploit children are discussed. Constructive solutions and a plan
of action which foster protective and productive learning experiences are
explored. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document De-
livery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: <docdelivery@haworthpress.
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KEYWORDS. Internet safety, cyberviolence, cybervictimization, ex-

ploitation, youth

INTRODUCTION

According to a quote by Rossetto, the digital age has brought with it

“social changes so profound that their only parallel is probably the dis-
covery of fire” (Hudson, 1997, p. 7). Just as fire has brought us warmth
and light, the Internet has ignited an excitement for learning in a global
medium. Conversely, as the destructive force of the fire necessitates
careful use of this unpredictable element, online interaction can expose
youth to an insidious threat to their well being. Like the fire, the poten-
tial brilliance of the Internet may only be obscured by the hidden dan-
gers which lurk beneath a mesmerizing façade.
Technopessimists have warned that the Internet spells the end of civ-
ilizations, cultures, interests and ethics. During the 1990s many reports
in the media described the Internet as a portal to pornography for the in-
nocent eyes of children and a new source of addiction. Subsequently,
public opinion was swayed by news stories that users of the Internet ex-
perience increased levels of loneliness, depression, and social isolation
(McKenna & Bargh, 2000).
Nonetheless, apocalyptic prophecies of dystopia are slowly being
transformed into selective discourse on the impact of technology on
the lives of youth. The amplified forecasts of disaster represent the
mixture of opportunity and anxiety which surround cyberspace. This
discourse captures the ambivalence of the wondrous aspects of the
Internet and the anonymity it affords which can mask something more
sinister.
Predictions of utopia or doom have accompanied most new commu-
nications technologies, and the same rhetoric of pessimism and opti-
mism has enveloped the Internet. When Alexander Graham Bell first
displayed his telephone at the 1876 Centennial Exposition, Scientific
 Ilene R. Berson 7

American noted that the new device would bring a greater “kinship
of humanity” and “nothing less than a new organization of society”
(Lubar, 1993, p. 130). Other observers were less hopeful, worrying
that telephones would transmit germs through the wires, eliminate
local accents, and provide a mechanism for governments to monitor
the activities of their citizens. Some organizations fretted that the
phone might destroy family interaction, deter people from visiting
friends, and create nationwide inactivity.
In the United States many families precariously juggle the fragile
balance between the dream and nightmare of Internet access
(Turrow & Nir, 2000). Online opportunities to access information,
share ideas within a global community, and extend education, so-
cial and leisure experiences are weighed against risks of exposure
to offensive or explicit content (pornography, racism, violence,
drugs and other illicit items), contact by predators or harassers, de-
ceptive marketing directed toward children, and violations of pri-
vacy through the collection of personal information. The relatively
unregulated system of the Internet requires our attention due to its
status as the fastest growing communication medium and its univer-
sal accessibility.
Among the potential risks, access to children by pedophiles online
is of the most substantial concern to caregivers and child-serving
professionals. The stranger danger campaigns of the past portrayed
stereotypes of men luring children on the playgrounds with candy
and lost puppies. However, the new threat is from an online friend
who sounds just like any other youth, using chatrooms to form rela-
tionships. Considered to be the newest sidewalk for child predators,
the perceived anonymity of cyberspace provides a cloak for those
who prey on children. We are increasingly aware of child abductions
and sexual exploitation which were initiated through the Internet,
and in the United States computer facilitated child sexual exploita-
tion has been acknowledged as a pervasive crime (Allinich &
Kreston, 2001). Often the numbers of children who are being lured
through the computer are captured among the reports of nationwide
runaways and missing children, but the actual prevalence of these
exploited youth is largely unknown. Although parents are the first
line of defense in advocating for children online, the technological
gap in knowledge across generations has left many young people ac-
cessible, vulnerable, and unprotected.
8 JOURNAL OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE

CYBERCRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN

The vast majority of the Internet is a valuable resource of educational

and entertaining resources. Yet, it is the allure of the problematic as-
pects of cyberspace that pose a challenge to the socio-emotional func-
tioning of children. This unregulated, expansive environment where
access to power is not dependent on age, gender or ethnicity is often ap-
pealing to young people searching for wondrous discoveries and en-
countering potentially frightening realities. This is an area which
requires specialized knowledge to understand the complicated process
of child victimology in cyberspace. As an area in which researchers are
only in the preliminary stages of investigation, cyberspace has devel-
oped into a virtual world where electronic interactions can result in
physical repercussions. It is a global medium, spanning the interna-
tional arena.
Although an exciting world can be found online, the Internet also cre-
ates a new context for sexual exploitation and victimization of children.
Without much effort, a child may inadvertently or deliberately be ex-
posed to on-line content that is obscene, pornographic, violent, racist, or
otherwise offensive. The lack of oversight of the content in cyberspace
means that misinformation is rampant and access to contraband, includ-
ing drugs, alcohol, guns, and gambling activities, goes unchecked.
Among young people, computer misconduct can be more tempting in
an environment that at least appears to be anonymous and devoid of
standard rules of conduct. Additionally, chatrooms are the new play-
grounds for youth and the pedophiles stalking them, resulting in serious
implications for adults in roles to protect children’s well-being.
Children are often naïve and trusting of others and simultaneously
are in need of attention and affection. This combination of traits contrib-
utes to an easy target to be enticed into illicit interactions with preda-
tors. Chatrooms, bulletin boards, games, surveys, contests, promotions,
and other online forums have facilitated the disclosure of personal in-
formation to strangers. Both passive and active information collections
have resulted in detailed accounts and profiles of young people online.
This widespread accumulation of personally identifiable information
about children undermines their privacy. Children are at risk of having
their safety compromised when this information is accessible to others
interested in online and offline contact.
Cyberpredators have taken advantage of computer technology as a
mechanism to exploit children. The information superhighway has pro-
vided a forum for sharing preferences on adult-child sexual relation-
 Ilene R. Berson 9

ships and finding supportive communities for sexual fantasies with

children (Davis, McShane, & Williams, 1995). The perceived anonym-
ity of the Internet has benefited pedophiles and provided an environ-
ment conducive to the exchange of pornography, identification of
children to molest, sexual interactions with youth, and support and vali-
dation from other adults who share their sexual preferences.
We are lacking evidence-based cybervictimology profiles of youth.
Impressionistic observations have led many to believe that children
most at risk tend to be lonely and detached from their families, creating
an opportunity for the predator to magnify the distance between the
child and parents through a secret alliance. Preliminary data suggest
that children who are susceptible to online exploitation tend to mini-
mize the potential dangers or risks online (Berson, Berson & Ferron,
2002). Children who are encountering other problems in their family, at
school or in peer relationships also may be increasingly vulnerable. The
number of known computer-based sexual exploitation cases are just a
fraction of the number of attempts to lure a child into a sexual relation-
ship. This reflects the need to make children aware of these online dan-
gers and the need to educate parents on the protective myth and false
sense of security that they may feel because their child is in their bed-
room at home on the computer.

GROOMING

Grooming involves a clever process of manipulation, typically initi-

ated through a nonsexual approach, which is designed to entice a victim
into a sexual encounter (Brown, 2001). The inhibitions of a child are
lowered through active engagement, desensitization, power and con-
trol. It is often characterized as a seduction, involving a slow and grad-
ual process of learning about a child and building trust. This also
contributes to the difficulty in detecting the activity.
Grooming is also a deceptive process in which a child is unprepared
to interpret cues which signal danger of risk. Predators are skilled at
gaining the trust of a child before luring them into interactions. The pro-
cess of grooming through the formation of a close bond creates a victim
who is more likely to comply with sexual advances.
Our interpretations of the grooming process have been primarily an-
ecdotal, based on the accounts of child victims and predators who might
recall gifts given, and tactics used to gain trust and establish confidence.
In addition to these narrative accounts, evidence might be found of adult
10 JOURNAL OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE

or child erotica, photographs of children, photography equipment, or

children’s play items. However, grooming evidence is now more avail-
able in the form of chat logs, stored communication and downloaded
child and adult pornography, gifts, notes about online conversations,
and profiles on youth met online.
Traditionally, the grooming process required close physical proxim-
ity with children. Predators could lurk on playgrounds, at children’s
sports events, or other youth-oriented venues, and many would often
take on jobs as child-serving professionals or volunteers which placed
them in a position of trust and authority. In these situations, the perpe-
trator could selectively befriend vulnerable children. Yet, the process
required personal risk to the pedophile since someone may become sus-
picious of the special attention or affection directed toward the child.
Predators have relied on deception and manipulation to avoid detec-
tion and secure trust of the child and the confidence of other adults.
Pedophiles are skilled at gradually progressing the intensity of the inter-
action with a child, carefully seducing the child to lower his or her inhi-
bitions. In addition to attention and friendship, the seduction can
include the sharing of gifts and special activities or trips. The pedophile
often preys on the child’s loneliness or emotional neediness. Once the
predator has developed an alliance with the child, he or she may begin
gradually exposing the youth to pornography and subsequently suggest
photographing the child in sexually seductive poses. This process is in-
tended to desensitize the child to nudity, stimulate the child’s curiosity
about sex, and validate adult-child sexual relations.
With the Internet the cyberpredator simultaneously has access to
multiple victims in an environment where the pedophile can hide be-
hind the protective cloak of anonymity, masking as “one of the kids.”
They can portray any persona or lifestyle which will be enticing to
the child. Chatrooms, IRCs, electronic bulletin boards, e-mail ad-
dresses and Websites can be used to attract potential victims and ma-
nipulate the child into a face-to-face interaction. The illusion of a
private context provides a venue where youth will chat and flirt with
strangers who may be taking advantage of the opportunity to be-
friend and subsequently deceive the child with charm and feigned af-
fection.
The online predator is skilled at collecting information from chil-
dren, searching profiles for vulnerable targets, and acquiring per-
sonal information on a specific child. Information available online
can be used to engage in an online friendship which is the initiation
of the grooming process. Trust is established between the predator
 Ilene R. Berson 11

and the child through the sharing of information, the use of false
identities, sending of gifts and pictures, and eventual desensitization to
pornographic content. Subsequently, a meeting between the predator
and the child may be arranged.

On the Internet, child molesters are able to shorten the trust-build-

ing period and establish trust with many more potential victims at
once. Because the Internet is anonymous, child molesters can pre-
tend to be virtually anyone in order to deceive the victim into
thinking that they are understanding and sympathetic. One good
example is from a case in which the defendant pretended to be the
same age as his victim. Like his victim, the defendant said that his
parents were recently divorced and he was having trouble adjust-
ing to his new life. After a certain period, the defendant said his fa-
ther “banned” him from the Internet, but his older brother would
be able to continue the Internet friendship. Thus, over time, the
victim not only came to trust the defendant, but gradually accepted
the fact that the defendant was older than him and an adult.
(Brown, 2001)

The grooming process often is initiated in online chat rooms and may
extend to deceiving the parents of a potential victim into a false sense of
security about the stranger’s presence within the family structure
(Mahoney & Faulkner, 1997). Adult child relationships include an im-
balance in power in which friendship and intimacy are leveraged for
sexual interaction.
These preferential offenders may be pedophiles who prey on children
in cyberspace; however, adolescents are also at risk for engaging in situ-
ational offenses as they search online for pornography and sexual op-
portunities. The vast and loose-knit network of the Internet masks
identities and provides a new context where curious and rebellious mi-
nors can be seduced and manipulated into indirect victimization
through the transfer of sexually explicit information and later direct ex-
ploitation.

THE DYNAMICS OF CHAT

Online chatrooms are a popular venue for initiating the exchange be-
tween youth and individuals who are threats to their safety and well-be-
ing. In this virtual world, children assume new identities through their
12 JOURNAL OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE

nicknames and then are expected to manage control over their private
information while trying to build relationships, engage in self-expres-
sion, explore their own identities, and find validation. This process has
been referred to as a complicated juggling act which requires sophisti-
cated skill in performing chameleon-like behaviors and attitudes
(O’Connell, 2001a).
Existing knowledge on psychosocial implications for sexual exploi-
tation provide an initial frame of reference for understanding the impact
of deception and online interactions. However, our theories and models
of mental health functioning need to be reconsidered in a virtual con-
text. Although cyberspace mirrors some aspects of other experiences,
there are major differences which may mediate behavior. For example,
it is difficult to merely classify the online enticement of a child as an ac-
quaintance abduction versus stranger abduction since it has dynamics
of both. After months of forging an online relationship with someone, a
child no longer perceives this individual as an outsider. Additionally,
the defenses against strangers often are not triggered when a youth per-
ceives that they are interacting with a peer.
In cyberspace, mutually anonymous interactions lead to the develop-
ment of close relations with others without benefit of visual cues which
are typically important in social categorization of others and subsequent
interaction. Online identities are self-constructed and can be repeatedly
modified to recreate one’s online persona. Usually one’s self identity is
relatively static and strongly associated with physical characteristics
(gender, age, weight, race). Identity construction on the Internet allows
experimentation with various possible selves. The usual constraints of
particular roles are nonexistent and identity can be fluid (Gurak, 2001;
McKenna & Bargh, 2000).
Our first impressions, which are often based on a brief observation,
define how we categorize people. Once this categorization has been
made, reinterpretation of ambiguous events will typically align with the
original classification and accommodate conflicting information into
existing schema. Changing our perceptions of others and questioning
our observations are not intuitive processes even when confronted with
new information. Problems with online relationships may be magnified
for youth who lack the knowledge, experience, and maturity to detect
distortions in what they see and read online.

An adult or adolescent engaged in online solicitation by posing

as a child engages in category deception by giving the target
child the impression that they are talking to another child. The
 Ilene R. Berson 13

adult manipulates the child’s initial interpretations of their in-

teractions and continues to present as a child so that when the
contradictions become apparent, children will attempt to rein-
terpret the actions rather than disbelieve the original identifica-
tion of a child. (O’Connell, 2001a)

Identity deception is an inherent part of online communication, and

transformations can have positive and negative repercussions for youth
who also experiment with their online personas. In the chatroom young
people first create an image of themselves by selecting a nickname and
proceed with molding their identity within the social structure of online
interaction. Some youth may engage in high levels of identity reconstruc-
tion as part of a playful experience or fantasy, seamlessly transitioning
between honesty and deception.
The deindividuation which occurs online also is associated with a
tendency to diminish self-regulation and engage in disinhibited behav-
ior. There is an increased likelihood of nonconforming or aggressive in-
teraction, but there is also a tendency to share more intimate disclosures
(McKenna & Bargh, 2000). As youth and adults participate in sexually
explicit activity online, they may gradually seek out more intense levels
of excitement when they become satiated or no longer satisfied (Free-
man-Longo, 2000). Offline functioning may be similarly affected when
intensified online roles transfer into daily activity.
The social and cultural communities of the Internet have unique per-
spectives on power, identity and gender. Identity is confounded in a vir-
tual venue where the self is socially constructed and changing. Children
may feel that they can better represent their authentic self online where
social roles and personalities are formulated from more limited cues.
The inner self is dynamic in a virtual venue and multiple presentations
of one’s identity may enhance the positive and negative development of
the individual.
In a Web-based study conducted in conjunction with Seventeen
Magazine Online, CyberAngels, the College of Education at the Uni-
versity of South Florida, and the Department of Child and Family
Studies at the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, 10,800
respondents to an online survey identified behaviors of adolescent girls
that placed them at-risk in cyberspace (Berson, Berson, & Ferron,
2002). Several respondents noted the benefits of online dialogues which
provide a mechanism to empower youth and provide a forum in which
they have a voice. In face-to-face interactions young women may per-
ceive that body size, facial features, and other superficial characteristics
14 JOURNAL OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE

are judged as more important than personality (AAUW, 1999). Con-

versely, online exchanges take place in a context that often is devoid of
these visual cues (Berson, Berson, & Ferron, 2002).
However, negative consequences also arise in a medium where adoles-
cents may minimize the risks due to perceived anonymity and distort the
potential for harm. Lack of experience in a global community also may
lead to errors in judgment regarding level of risk or contribute to actions
which reflect a culture of deception in cyberspace (Berson, Berson, &
Ferron, 2002; Berson, 2000). Since technology can mediate available feed-
back on the direct consequences of actions to other people, an individual’s
decision making may be guided more by the perceived personal benefits
than the moral components of his/her actions. Each of these perspectives
has implications for prevention programs designed to safeguard youth on-
line.

A Case Example

To illustrate the kinds of encounters that a child may experience in a

chatroom consider the following case. The adult with a sexual interest in
youth successfully utilized grooming practices to lure the young girl into a
dangerous face-to-face encounter.
A fourteen-year-old eighth grader received a new computer as a gift
from her parents. Within two months she was engaged in regular e-mail
correspondence and chat with an adult male. When her parents became
aware of the relationship they took steps to end it, removing the keyboard
from the computer, monitoring mail and phone calls, and placing their
daughter in counseling. However, the youth continued her communication
via a mobile phone which the predator had sent. Several months later, the
girl was missing from her home. When authorities searched her home com-
puter they discovered a trail of e-mails which led them on a manhunt that
spanned two continents and involved law enforcement agencies who over-
came barriers of language, distance, and different criminal justice systems.
In a complex scheme, the predator had coordinated with other child
pedophiles in the United States to disguise the youth, secure a false pass-
port, and provide funds to send the child out of the country to his residence
in Greece. Five months after being lured away, the youth was recovered
and returned home to her parents. Initially she professed her continued love
and adoration for her abductor; however, after extensive therapeutic sup-
port she began revealing details of sexual and physical torture, became sui-
cidal, and required psychiatric hospitalization. Her recovery process has
been very gradual, but her experience and trauma will be unforgettable.
 Ilene R. Berson 15

CONSTRUCTING SOLUTIONS AND A PLAN FOR ACTION

Research has confirmed the presence of threats to children’s safety

on the Internet (Berson, Berson, & Ferron, 2002), and, more specifi-
cally, has revealed that 25% of adolescents in the United States report
receiving unwanted sexual solicitation online (Finkelhor, Mitchell, &
Wolak, 2000). The public is becoming increasingly aware of cases of
adults seeking to meet children for sexual contact following communi-
cation in chatrooms. Moreover, there is now an interplay between ex-
ploitative activity online and the use of other technologies, such as
Instant Messaging, ICQ, mobile phones, and handheld computers,
which intensify the degree of risk as new communication technologies
evolve and children, parents, and teachers remain unprepared to protect
youth in the ever-changing information age.
While studies have been underway to better understand cyberv-
ictimology, cybersafety initiatives have also emerged to counter illegal
activity online and promote safe and responsible use of the Internet. Ef-
forts to safeguard children on the Internet have included the implemen-
tation of federal and state statutes; creation of school-based policies and
rules; development of family guidelines; recommendations for adult su-
pervision and monitoring; application of content control measures to
filter, block, and monitor children’s access to sites; and Internet safety
awareness campaigns. In 1999 UNESCO coordinated an expert meet-
ing of specialists who prepared a plan of action to guide efforts to com-
bat child pornography and pedophilia in cyberspace (Arnaldo, 2001).
Nigel Williams, Director of Childnet International, assessed the suc-
cess of programs to safeguard children on the net (2001). He noted that
lack of funding and coordination between multidisciplinary entities
(law enforcement, Internet Service Providers, parents, educators, hard-
ware and software sectors, and child welfare agencies) has contributed
to challenges in implementing comprehensive and effective safety cam-
paigns. There needs to be a collective effort to further refine partner-
ships and develop educational programs which are designed to augment
children’s safe navigation in cyberspace. The lapses in preventative in-
tervention have left many parents ill informed, teachers insufficiently
trained, and children vulnerable.
To have the greatest impact, stakeholders must acknowledge that the
Internet is not strictly an intellectual activity. It has behavioral repercus-
sions and emotional implications. To communicate messages of safety
to a variety of audiences (i.e., children, parents, libraries, child-serving
organizations, schools), comprehensive education for safety awareness
16 JOURNAL OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE

needs to be introduced as part of a broader net literacy program (Williams

et al., 2000).
Successful prevention requires education of parents, caregivers, librar-
ies, schools, youth groups, and others who might provide children with ac-
cess to the Internet. Many youth are unlikely to heed the simplistic cautions
to beware of strangers online, and may tune out directive and authoritative
dos and don’ts (O’Connell, 2001a; Williams et al., 2000). Conversely, suc-
cessful programs will incorporate the voices of youth in the creation of
strategies and address the needs of caregivers with a range of knowledge
and skill levels, providing information on filtering and monitoring options
while acknowledging that technical solutions cannot substitute for direct
involvement of parents and child-serving professionals. Online resources
need to be complemented with offline public awareness campaigns and the
support and backing of local and national governments. Direct instruction
for computer literacy needs to maintain a strength-based rather than deficit
focus to empower youth through education.
To counter risks online and promote cybersafety it is important to em-
power children with the knowledge and technical expertise to protect
themselves for safe navigation. Developing net-savvy children includes the
ability to discriminate between ambiguous events and exchanges which are
potentially threatening. This is a challenging process. Children react to the
signals of a conversation often without awareness of the isolated cues
which are symbolic of online dangers. Cybersafety often touts the impor-
tance of children recognizing problematic situations; however, the dia-
logue exchanged in the context of online solicitation may be devoid of its
negative potency when presented in a relationship which is naturally pro-
gressing to more intimacy between a child and his/her online confidant.
The interaction between people creates a collective experience which fos-
ters the relationship and can be skillfully used to reinforce trust and hide de-
ception. Children need skills which can mediate the potentially harmful
intent of others on the net and decloak the power of online anonymity
(O’Connell, 2001b). By fostering an awareness of the risk of online exploi-
tation and the circumstances and lures used to entice youth, adults and chil-
dren can be better prepared to recognize the threat, and avoid it.

CONCLUSION

The Internet has the potential to unite society while simultaneously

fragmenting it, amplifying the opportunity for the young to have greater
access to information while at the same time remaining susceptible to
 Ilene R. Berson 17

misinformation and exploitation. In order to mediate the online forces

which can be deleterious to self-identity and social emotional function-
ing, children and youth need to be engaged in navigating the Web with
awareness. By fostering a sense of agency and control as young people
learn about the Internet, youth become proficient with communication
technologies while also developing an awareness of issues surrounding
widespread Internet use and the necessity of responsible action.
Successful solutions for safety will be based on a fluid collaboration
among many partners. Governments, law enforcement agencies, Internet
service providers, software/hardware companies, schools, parents, child
welfare agencies, and child-serving organizations will need to collec-
tively negotiate advancements and foster meaningful initiatives in con-
junction with youth. Through these actions our children can be
empowered, creative applications of technology can be enhanced, and
the potential for the benefits of global connectivity can be realized.

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