This has been explained in an interview granted to Europa Press by the psychologist and sexologist Emilio López Bastos, who, together with Gonzalo Sotelo, member of the Computer Crimes Team of the Civil Guard, has presented a study on the effect of a series of talks on the protection of their data on young people within the framework of the XI Spanish Congress of Sexology.
Thus, López Bastos has pointed out as risk factors for the harassment via the Internet to a minor, the advertising of personal data on the network --something that 80 percent of young people do--, as well as the increasingly widespread use of social networks and the Internet privately by adolescents.
"This type of cases is on the rise, and it is expected to go in very accelerated progression" in the coming years, said Emilio López, who has pointed out that adolescents increasingly handle a greater number of devices --such as mobile-- that allow them continuous and free access to the Internet and social networks.
Specifically, according to data from the study, more than 60 percent of young people between 11 and 16 years old have a computer in their room and, of these, 83 percent have Internet access.
PROFILE OF THE HARASSER
Regarding the profile of the harasser, Emilio López has assured that he is an "adult" and "married" man who "knows perfectly well the world of adolescents" --their tastes, their language and their interests-- and "pretends to be another minor or a younger person".
The victims, on the other hand, are minors who "usually use the Internet at times when they are alone in their room", so "little by little" the harassers "are gaining their trust" and promote an exchange of photographs.
Through "knowledge of technological means" that this type of harassers have, they steal the email accounts and social networks of their victims, take over their contacts and "subject them to blackmail."
"In recent years there has been a very significant increase in the emergence of networks for the exchange of child pornography and harassers whose objective is to obtain photographs and videos of adolescents, as well as real physical contact with them," warned the psychologist, who stressed that "sharing personal photographic and video files with a stranger" -- which can be "manipulated" -- can cause "future situations of risk of abuse."
IGNORANCE
For the expert, the most negative situation of this problem of harassment of minors on the Internet is the "ignorance" of the problem both among parents and educators, who have been urged to get involved in the issue.
Among the measures to be taken to avoid these situations, Emilio López has recommended "never put the computer in the room for private use" of the minor, install "parental control programs" and "negotiate very clearly" the hours of use of the network so that "they can not connect when they are alone".
Likewise, the expert has specified that, as supported by this study, informative talks on this issue to young people significantly reduce risk practices. Specifically, 67 percent of the young people who received talks during the study began to employ precautionary measures.
In the content of this type of talks highlights the information on real cases of minors harassed on the network, on the IP number, on the importance of privacy and on the ways of acting of the harassers, which "sensitizes" adolescents.
Source: Europa Press
Authors: Computer Security News
