Protecting Children Online: Exploring the Impact of an Online Identifier for Registered Sex Offenders on Adult Internet Users' Online Information Sharing Behaviors

摘要

Currently registered sex offenders share in the anonymity afforded by the Internet. With over 500,000 convicted sex offenders on the National Sex Offender Registry, this anonymity is potentially problematic. The potential problem exists in that adult Internet users are unable to identify where their online communications intersect with a registered sex offender. This inability for identification can increase risks to children through the online social networking behaviors of adults. The current study examines how protection of children online could be increased through the impact of an online identifier for registered sex offenders on the online social networking site behaviors of adult Internet users.