The era of social media brings challenges and dangers that we are still learning to recognize. Those who are digitally literate may know when to be cautious, but the rapid development of technology means we are all exposed in some way. This is particularly true for children and adolescents, especially during the summer months when they spend hours unsupervised in front of screens.
Read more:
A new study led by Dr. Eden Kamar, a cybersecurity expert at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, along with Dr. Jordan Howell, a cybercrime expert at the University of South Florida, and Prof. David Maimon of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Georgia State University, reveals that pedophiles who contact teenagers through social media and online chats exploit security breaches and technological advancements to secretly activate their webcams without the knowledge or consent of the children, with the aim of sexually exploiting them.
"Before the internet era, creating child pornography required professional cameras, and the child had to be in the same room with the perpetrator," explains Dr. Kamar. "Today, perpetrators can produce child pornography even when they are in a place where they feel safe. Perpetrators can create pornography from the comfort of their own homes, using technological tools such as webcams, recording software and screen capturing."
International research findings indicate that pedophiles use video chat platforms that allow the embedding of malicious code, which takes control of the computer's camera for recording and distributing child pornography without the victims' knowledge. Although the research itself was not conducted in Israel, according to the researchers, it serves as an important warning signal for similar cases in Israel as well.
In an online experiment, the research team created several automated chatbots using a "honey trap" method, simulating 13-year-old girls. The chatbots engaged in nearly 1,000 conversations with potential pedophiles in 30 randomly selected chat rooms designed for adolescents.
"Most previous studies rely on historical data from police reports, providing an outdated description of current threats," explains Kamar. "We are the first to deploy chatbots to extract real-time intelligence on the methods currently employed for online child abuse."
The bots documented 953 correspondences with online sex offenders, with 39% of them sending malicious links to individuals they believed to be 13-year-old girls.
Researchers explain that once they gain access to the child's webcam, pedophiles can use it to record and livestream child pornography directly from their homes.
Cover your webcams
"Offenders exploit chat and video conferencing platforms to gain control over a child's webcam without their knowledge," explains Dr. Kamar. "Once they have access to the webcam, offenders use it to capture intimate moments of the child and livestream child pornography.
In certain cases, they simply spy on them until they see videos of the child changing clothes or engaging in sexually explicit acts, depending on their age. In other cases, the predator may request or blackmail the child into performing sexual acts in front of the camera."
Researchers argue that the best way for parents to protect their children is by covering their webcams. "Parents need to do a better job monitoring their children's online activity, but technology companies, who often prioritize user privacy over safeguarding vulnerable populations, must also step up," says Dr. Howell.
Prof. David Mimon from the University of Georgia adds, "Parents need to monitor their children's online activity. The anonymity that exists on social media and chat platforms allows offenders to establish initial contact with the child, a connection that can ultimately lead to online sexual exploitation. Children should be taught that strangers online are still strangers. We need to educate and instruct children from a young age about the dangers of communicating with strangers online."
Doron Herman, founder and CEO of Safe School, an organization that focuses on social-emotional learning and child protection in the digital realm, advises parents to be vigilant while also equipping their children with the tools to identify the danger.
According to the Council for Child Safety's annual report, there has been a 48% rise in cases of internet-related sexual abuse against children, a 138% surge in cases involving the dissemination of explicit materials, and a 51% increase in cases of sexual harassment between 2018 and 2021.
Reducing the dangers lurking for children and adolescents online
1. Set clear boundaries. The gaming scene can be perilous due to sexual predators who make contact with minors on gaming platforms and attempt to continue the conversation on private messaging platforms.
2. Monitor WhatsApp groups. Unregulated large groups can attract pedophiles. It is advisable to keep WhatsApp profile pictures visible only to known contacts.
3. Avoid relying on forums for advice. Instead, encourage children to direct sensitive questions, especially those related to sexuality, to you or a trusted school counselor, rather than turning to anonymous online forums.
4. Be suspicious of profile pictures. Not everyone who presents themselves as a child is genuine. In some cases, sexual predators use fake profiles with pictures of children.