Guide to Protecting Your Teen Against Internet Predators

Teenage Internet users are the fastest growing segment in the Internet user population. These teenagers are at risk of sexual assault from Internet predators. This guide explores teacher and counselors' perceptions of how to prevent this sexual assault. Twenty-five teacher and counselor participants were interviewed. A modified van Kaam method was used to analyze the data and develop themes. Participants stated that mainly the lack of parental support and social networking website were the circumstances leading to teenage Internet sexual assault, while teen needs and gratification usually played a role in teen encounters with predators on the Internet. There were 13 emergent themes in this guide and those themes were; lack of parental support, anonymity on the Internet, teenage loneliness, social networking websites and chat rooms, teenage personality (introversive and extroversive), teenage rebellion, teenage need for relationships, instant gratification among teenagers, teenage low self-esteem, improved parental support, improved education, improved law enforcement and additional circumstances leading to the teenage Internet sexual assault phenomenon.