Online predators use the Internet to exploit kids and teens for sexual satisfaction. There are 500,000 online predators on the lookout daily, targeting children aged 12 to 15.
Young people who show vulnerability feed online predators the most. Their goal is to hunt, lure, and groom victims online.
In this article, you'll learn about today's most disturbing online predator statistics. Continue reading for more information!
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- 66.7% of online predators' victims are female.
- 68.97% of tweens and 90.73% of teens encountered sexual content online.
- Only 7% of parents knew their kids received inappropriate content from adults.
- Internet usage among 3- to 4-year-olds dramatically doubled within five years.
- Online predator reports increased by 106% early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Threats from strangers to kids online concern 58% of US parents.
- 40% of children from grades four to eight experienced online chatting with strangers.
- 1 in 5 children reported that an online predator contacted them.
- 53% of offenders were family members.
- Over 80% of child sex crimes arise from social media.
Children and Grooming Statistics Overview
As children are more exposed online, online predators have taken over the Internet. In 2021, grooming cases against girls accounted for 82% of cases. 38% of offenses used Meta-owned platforms, with groomers preferring Snapchat for communication.
At 34%, sexual conversations or role-playing are the most common grooming methods. Other grooming methods include catfishing, building trust with emotional support, and giving money.
Kids should be having fun and learning, but online predators have robbed them of their childhood and innocence. The latest statistics on predators' and victims' demographics, trends, and online behavior on social media are below.
Online Predator Demographic Statistics
Of 5,917 offenders, 82% were male, 9% were female, and 9% were unidentified. Most online predators reveal their real age, which is more appealing to kids. Only 5% pretended to be kids.
Take a look at these demographic profiles of online predators and victims:
1. 66.7% of online predators' victims are female.
(Screen and Reveal)
Online predators primarily target females. 31.1% are male, and 2.2% are transgender or gender fluid. Similarly, 77% of offenders target 14-year-olds or older, while 22% target 10–13-year-olds.
Children aged 16 to 17 were 62.5% commonly targeted for online grooming. Other online sex offenses they experienced include:
- Image-based sexual abuse (60%)
- Sextortion (59.1%)
- Online child sexual abuse (58.1%)
- Self-produced child sexual abuse images (55.1%)
2. 68.97% of tweens and 90.73% of teens encountered sexual content online.
(Bark)
A parental control tool examined 3.4 billion texts, emails, apps, and social media messages. It revealed alerts for explicit content or a child receiving nude photos on web searches.
20.54% of teens and 9.95% of tweens using the Internet reported encountering predatory behaviors. Sexting is also tied to increased bullying.
3. Teen boys confused about their sexuality are the second-most targeted by online predators.
(Common Sense)
After 12- to 15-year-old girls, teen boys are the next target of online predators. They say they're more comfortable talking about their sexuality online with strangers.
Validation is not something they can get easily because of societal norms. Online predators use this opportunity to build trust and manipulate victims.
4. Only 7% of parents knew their kids received inappropriate content from adults.
(Jonny Shannon)
Parents were unaware that their kids received messages containing inappropriate photos or texts. 17% of tweens ages 8 to 12 also felt uncomfortable about this. A supervising adult at home and school can help parents, schools, and authorities identify threats.
5. Internet usage among 3- to 4-year-olds dramatically doubled within five years.
(Jonny Shannon)
Children use mobile devices as early as three years old. Children aged 3 to 4 had a 39% increase in internet usage from 2010 to 2015. Technology also changes quickly, making it hard for parents to monitor their kids' online behavior.
6. 31% of children aged 12 to 18 lied about their age for website access.
(Jonny Shannon)
Children who lie about their age to access websites put themselves at risk. 75% are even willing to share their personal information for goods and services. The Internet is dangerous, especially for young people who lack education about this topic.
Online Predator Report Statistics
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) reported that 2021 was the worst year for online sexual abuse. Two hundred fifty-two thousand websites have images or videos of sexually abused children.
Despite detection technology and analysts finding illegal content, online predators remain a problem. Below are the latest reports and trends on online predators:
7. Sexual exploitation affects 5% of children worldwide.
(Jama Network)
Over the last decade, sexual exploitation has become the second-most profitable crime globally. Sexual exploitation was also more likely among traumatized and abused children.
8. There was a 35% increase in sexual exploitation reports in 2021.
(Missing Kids)
Suspected child sexual exploitation accounted for 29.3 million reports in 2021. It is 35% higher than 2020, making it an all-time high record.
Telecommunications and social media companies legally provided 29 million tips for illegal images online. The companies then received more illegal videos than images.
9. Online predator reports increased by 106% early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
(McAfee)
COVID-19 affected all facets of life worldwide. As kids spent more time online to learn and connect, online predators followed them there. The cases notably increased in the first months of the pandemic.
10. Online enticement increased in 2020 by 97.5%.
(NCMEC)
There were 37,872 online enticement cases in 2020, an increase from 19,174 in 2019. Online enticement involves communication with a child for sexual exploitation or kidnapping. It happens through social media, messaging apps, and gaming sites.
11. Threats from strangers to kids online concern 58% of US parents.
(GaurdChild, Child Crime Prevention & Safety Center)
Only 15% of parents know their children's online habits. Most parents are so busy doing their own thing that they don't mind what their children are up to online.
Parents can protect their kids from online predators by setting social media boundaries and creating a safe space for them to talk.
12. 60% of online predators eyed explicit images of children.
(NCMEC)
The most common goal of offenders is to acquire explicit images from children. Other purposes can be categorized as follows:
- 32% wanted physical meetings and sexual contact
- 8% enjoyed online sexual conversations or role-play
- 2% for financial motivation
13. An online predator contacted at least 1 in 7 children.
(Crimes Against Children Research Center)
Children encounter online predators in one way or another, but they might pass it off as a joke or rude comment. Online predator statistics showed that many unreported cases could increase reports.
The cases reported depend on educating kids about sexual offenses and providing a safe space to discuss them.
14. 40% of children from grades four to eight experienced online chatting with strangers.
(Center For Cyber Safety and Education)
Children are more vulnerable to online predators as they rely more on the Internet for learning and socializing. 53% of kids gave strangers their phone numbers, while 11% met strangers.
Reverse phone lookups can help parents identify the owner of a suspicious phone number or text on their child's phone.
Online Predators on Social Media Statistics
Online predators have become rampant across social media. Grooming has now become a cross-platform issue.
In the past 12 months, law enforcement has identified 70 grooming apps and games. Shockingly, a single incident used several platforms.
See what online predators and victims do on social media with these statistics:
15. 1 in 5 children reported that an online predator contacted them.
(Beau Biden Foundation)
A predator connects with a child through social media and online game chats. From public post comments, predators move the conversation to more private messages. They will then ask for explicit content that corrupts children.
16. 46% of children share personal information online.
(NSPCC)
As mentioned, children could fall prey to online predators by giving out personal information. Online predators use this to identify victims, build trust, and form shared interests.
It doesn't end there. The shared information can be a tool for bullying, blackmailing, online grooming, and abuse.
17. Online predators use multiplayer games to contact victims.
(Scholar Works)
Online predators contact children in chatboxes and rooms by playing kid games like Roblox, Minecraft, Clash of Clans, and World of Warcraft.
Without moderation or age verification, kids can talk to adults on any platform. Some games for kids have built-in features and settings to discourage inappropriate language.
18. Online predators seek sexual photos and back off if refused.
(CBS NEWS)
It's difficult for predators to look for a child to groom in public places. They opt to look online to move on to another target quickly. Once a child shares images or videos, a predator will ask for more photos and threaten to use them.
19. 53% of offenders were family members.
(NCMEC)
Even though over half of the offenders were family members, most internet predators were unknown to their victims.
CyberTipline found that 98% of online predator victims did not know the offenders. 2% of the identified offenders were parents, stepparents, and siblings.
20. Over 80% of child sex crimes arise from social media.
(Organization for Social Media Safety)
82% of online predatory incidents happened through communication on social media sites. Online predators use these sites to know their victims' habits and interests.
21. Online predators surged during the COVID-19 lockdown.
(NSPCC)
The pandemic forced children to stay at home. Counseling sessions revealed that young people felt lonely and anxious during the lockdown. It is one of the reasons why children spend more time online to keep in touch with friends.
Online chats showed increased attempts by offenders to contact young people on social media, with 4.1 million reports of abused children. The most commonly used platforms by offenders are:
- Facebook (15,884,511)
- Snapchat (82,030
- Imgur (73,929)
Final Thoughts
Online predators have marked their territory on the Internet. The statistics are alarming, especially given the rise in child Internet use.
Parents need to do more than confiscate devices. Parents must teach their kids social media responsibility and Internet safety.
