Internet Crimes Against Children U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Office for Victims of Crime Children have always been vulnerable to victimization. As children grow into adolescents, they remain vulnerable to victimization.
Youth are often curious and eager to try new things.
Many youth struggle with issues of rebellion and independence and seek attention and affection from people outside the home, often by using computers. Today, an estimated 10 million children are using the Internet. By 2005, approximately 77 million kids will be online. With so many children online, today's predators can easily find and exploit them. For predators, the Internet is a new, effective, and more anonymous way to seek out and groom children for criminal purposes such as producing and distributing child pornography, contacting and stalking children for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts, and exploiting children for sexual tourism for personal and commercial purposes.