Recommendations

With the full data of both surveys, the second YISS full report included seventeen recommendations.

1. Expand solicitation prevention messages.

The second Youth Internet Safety Survey suggests the proportion of youth Internet users receiving unwanted sexual solicitations has declined, and a smaller proportion of youth seem to be communicating online with people they do not know in person.

2. While prevention should be aimed at youth of all ages, it should particularly focus on preteens and teens.

While law enforcement does receive reports of younger children being sexually solicited online, none of the 10 year olds and few 11 and 12 year olds in YISS-2 received such solicitations.

3. Focus on adolescent desires for love, romance, and companionship.

Internet exploiters know many teens are susceptible to romantic fantasies, illusions of love, and desires for companionship.

4. Be frank with youth about online sexual activities.

Prevention messages also need to be frank with teens about the potential risks of sexual activities on the Internet including going to X-rated web sites, talking online about sex with people they do not know in person, and engaging in cybersex.

5. Address youth involvement in the making and transmitting of sexual photographs.

YISS-2 notes a potentially burgeoning trend of people who try to involve youth in sexual photography.

6. Use prevention to discourage adolescents from soliciting acquaintances.

YISS-2 identified a growing trend of unwanted sexual solicitations coming from people youth knew already acquaintances, not just people they only knew online.

7. Take on the harassment issue in prevention programs.

There are worrying signs in this survey about the increasing numbers of youth experiencing online harassment, including threats and other offensive behavior.

8. Address the group dynamics of Internet use.

Some of the unwanted solicitations, exposure, and harassment happened when youth were using the Internet in groups, and a lot of youth were not alone when they engaged in risky sexual behavior and rudeness and harassment of others.

9. Focus on the unwanted part of Internet exposure to sexual material.

YISS-2 found a growing exposure of youth to sexual material they did not want to see. The pornography issue is complicated and controversial.

10. Promote reporting.

One of the most discouraging findings in this study is so few youth told authorities such as law enforcement, schools, and Internet service providers about episodes of all types.

11. Teach reasons to report.

We need to develop and implement educational programs to motivate youth and their parents and guardians to report.

12. Increase the number and visibility of reporting options.

People need to know where to report suspicious incidents, where to find law enforcement online, and where to find other administrative authorities who may take action.

13. Enhance reporting mechanisms.

We need to make reporting of all sorts easier and more automatic.

14. Enhance Internet accountability.

In striving to enhance responsible behavior on the Internet, we should consider ways to build in incentives for enhancing community and prosocial behavior and establishing positive norms.

15. Evaluate and improve filtering, blocking, and monitoring software solutions.

YISS-2 found increased numbers of youth had filtering, blocking, and monitoring software on their systems, yet exposure to unwanted sexual material increased.

16. Train mental-health, youth-service, and education professionals to recognize and respond to Internet problems.

Something else we need to do is broaden the coalition of people promoting Internet safety.

17. Continue to conduct research.

A great deal of additional research would be helpful because youth Internet safety is a new field without much prior research on which to base its policy and practice.