Research for Advertising video Production
What is an online predator?
An online predator is an individual in which commits sexual or harmful abuse towards young children from the basis of the internet. Most online predators target young children as they may not understand fully what is right wrong. They are also very acceptable which means if a child aged 12 was told that they was gorgeous then they may think that they belong with this person as they really like being in the centre of attention.
Here are a few different stories which has hit the news papers because of extreme behaviour from certain online predator individuals: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=130735&page=1
One thing that every one of these stories have in common, is the fact that the predator has been stalking and texting every one of their victims at the same time over a long period of time. Here are some real online predator victims that have been publicly noticed:
The link above shows a news article in which contains a story about a young boy named Breck. To summarise this news article, Breck who is classed as an A* student at school and who is constantly praised as being a well behaved and well mannered boy who likes to play video games in his free time after chores; was brutally murdered by the online predator who had said he was only 17 years old. Breck had been contacting the online predator through a group chat in which was used for himself and his friends when playing online games. The online predator not only had close relations with himself and members of his family but had also said he travelled the world as an computer engineer who earned millions. As Breck is a young teenager, he had believed everything that the online predator had said therefore decided to meet up with him to play the video game they talked about. Later on, there were many images which had been uploaded onto the group chat of Breck who had been brutally murder with a slit in his throat.
What do I learn from this story?
I learnt that the online and gaming world can be a very dangerous place. Not everyone is who they seem even if they may be your friend over gaming or social media. It could be quite easy to fake a profile or an age which means particularly young children and teenagers become vulnerable to online predators as it is particularly young people who spend most of their time on social media and gaming. Most predators pick out the lonely people who may be particularly vulnerable and acceptable to believe such stories that they make up which means it is easier for the predator to commit such offences.
I truly believe these offences are wrong and must be stopped therefore many organisations such as the NSPCC who help those who are vulnerable, whether it be a child, elderly citizen or a middle aged woman. There is always someone that can hep and guide you in different situations which is why i feel that these organisations should be able to help a wider audience when in danger.
A man aged 19 committed murder after befriending three youngsters over social media then later arranging to meet. Elliott McDermott; the predator, had taken a 14 year olds virginity after offering to buy alcohol and cigarettes in return for sex. He had been charged of admitting rape on two counts, three sexual assaults, and three counts of grooming. His very first victim was a 12 year old who he had been chatting to over Facebook until later on arranging to meet at her house in Salford.
Maybe if the victims parents were more aware of what their children are getting up to when spending a certain amount online or on a interactive video game then maybe the children may not be in danger as much, however this is not always the case. This is where plenty organisations such as the NSPCC can help, not just with the victims but with the circumstances they live in and the family or parents too.
Computer generated 'Sweetie' that catches online predators
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