Research Downplays Personal Info Threat
By ANICK JESDANUN
Jul 12, 1:42 PM (ET)
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070712/D8QB6GJO0.html


NEW YORK (AP) - Almost every lesson on Internet safety warns against  
posting personal information such as phone numbers and school names.

Researchers are now suggesting, though, that such advice, however  
well-intentioned, doesn't necessarily make children safer from  
predators and related threats.

In a recent study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and  
Adolescent Medicine, researchers found no evidence that sharing  
personal information increases the chances of online victimization,  
such as unwanted sexual solicitation and harassment.

Rather, victimization is more likely to result from other online  
behavior, such as talking about sex with people met online and  
intentionally embarrassing someone else on the Internet.

"For a long time, we really didn't know," said Michele Ybarra, one of  
the study's authors. "It made sense if you post or send information  
you increase your risk. It's also a very easy message: Don't post  
personal information and you'll be safe."

But Ybarra, who is president of the nonprofit Internet Solutions for  
Kids, warned that parents and educators must now reassess the  
lessons, saying resources may be wasted on tips that do not address  
the underlying problem.

Instead of discouraging children from communicating, she said, the  
better approach is to teach them about what at-risk behaviors to  
avoid and warning signs to spot.

"We now need to be a lot more specific and accurate in our message,"  
she said.

The research, published in February, was based on telephone surveys  
of 1,500 Internet users ages 10 to 17.

In a separate study of 2,574 law-enforcement agencies, researchers  
found that online sex crimes rarely involve offenders lying about  
their ages or sexual motives. The 2004 study, published in Journal of  
Adolescent Health, said offenders generally aren't strangers, and  
pedophiles aren't luring unsuspecting children by pretending to be a  
peer.

"Most of these sexual-victimization (cases) happen at the hands of  
people they know, and a lot happen at the hands of peers," said Janis  
Wolak, co-author of both studies and a researcher with the University  
of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center.

The research also found that online victims tend to be teens with  
troubles offline, such as poor relationships with parents, loneliness  
and depression.

"A lot of parents, I think, can breathe a big sigh of relief," said  
Anne Collier, editor of the online newsletter Net Family News. "If  
their kids are just socializing with their friends online, they are  
going to be fine."

Nancy Willard, author of "Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens," said  
predators don't need to be snatching kids by piecing together clues  
from personal information when they can go for the low-hanging fruit  
- the teens specifically engaging in at-risk behavior, such as  
posting sexually provocative images in their profiles.

Many Internet-safety experts remain skeptical that parents and  
educators can let their guard down on the posting of personal  
information at sites like Facebook and News Corp. (NWS)'s MySpace.

"The only way they can get into trouble is if they end up meeting the  
stranger, and that's going to come from giving out personal  
information," said Susan Sachs, chief operating officer with the  
nonprofit Common Sense Media. "It's pretty clear to connect the dots  
between personal information and predators."

Monique Nelson, executive vice president of the Internet safety group  
Web Wise Kids, said kids "don't have the sense of ... knowing when a  
predator would be grooming them" so a blanket message against posting  
personal information is a good first line of defense.

Amanda Lenhart, a senior research specialist at the Pew Internet and  
American Life Project, agrees that the attention on personal  
information may be misplaced, but she said caution may still be wise.

"There is something to be said for preserving your privacy for other  
reasons," Lenhart said, noting that too much information could come  
to haunt teens when they apply for college or jobs. "Safety is not  
necessarily the No. 1 reason."