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Cyber crime victims 'often preyed on by friends'

Most cyber offences involving youths are committed by peers in the same age group as their victims, a Rochester Institute of Technology (RIC) study has claimed.

A survey of 40,000 adolescents found that 59 per cent of 11 to 14-year-old cyber victims would class their bullies as "friends" they know personally.

Sam McQuade, graduate program coordinator in RIT's Center for Multidisciplinary Studies, believes the old worry of "some boogey man" scouring the internet to prey on children is outdated and the real threat is much closer to home.

"While that is certainly something to be feared, the startling new reality is today’s children are most frequently preying on each other online - and their parents rarely have any idea it's happening," he said.

Bullying online, which involves sending cruel, threatening messages, has increased as young people are more confident that they are "anonymous and invincible online," he added.

Nearly three quarters of 12 to 14-year-olds receive little or no supervision when surfing the internet, prompting the RIC to suggest that parents watching their children's online activities would make them safer.

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