One of the more common myths about Internet safety is that predators typically deceive their victims by lying about their age or their gender. While that is possible, it's usually not the case. Research from the Crimes Against Children Research Center (CACRC) at the University of New Hampshire has shown that most adults who attempt to engage in a physical relationship with a minor do not grossly exaggerate their age. In most cases, the young person is aware that that person is an adult prior to the meeting.

To be sure, there are predators who would harm children. That's one reason that it's important for kids to be cautious when communicating with people they don't know in person, especially if the conversation starts to be about sex or physical details. Fortunately most teens are pretty careful, which is why there is a fairly small number of cases of teens who are physically harmed by these criminals.

Researchers have found that about one in 25 young people (4%) have gotten what they call "aggressive" sexual solicitations that included attempts to contact the youth offline. These, according to CACRC, "are the episodes most likely to result in actual victimizations." The researchers also found that about one 25 youth (about 4%) "were solicited to take sexual pictures of themselves." Such photographs, in many jurisdictions, could be considered child pornography. And speaking of 4%, that's the same percentage who said "they were upset or distressed as a result of an online solicitation."

The good news is the Internet molestation is preventable. If a child doesn't get together with someone he or she meets online, he or she can't be physically harmed—so the safest bet is to avoid meeting such people in the real world. If a teen does meet with someone it should be in a very public place—and they should bring along a parent, a group of friends, or maybe the football team and cheerleading squad. You never want to meet someone in person in a way that could make you vulnerable.

Another thing we know about threats to teens and children is that they don't always come from adults and they're often from someone they know. Kids can and sometimes do harm other kids. Threats often come from peers kids know from school or other real world situations. Whether it's unwanted sexual advances, harassment or what's now called "cyber bullying," peer to peer threats are real and can be harmful.

You can find more information from CARCC here.