Stumble It!Heads up, parents of teen girls.
A new study shows that girls who would depict themselves online in a provocative way, and girls with a history of child abuse, are more likely to receive online sexual advances — and then meet those individuals offline.
Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center studied girls between ages 14 and 17. Each was asked to create an avatar — an electronic image to represent herself — and to then complete a questionnaire regarding her computer and Internet usage, sexual attitudes and other factors.
Forty percent of the 173 girls in the study reported experiencing online sexual advances, and 26 percent reported meeting someone in person whom they first met online. Those who had depicted themselves as provocative in terms of body and clothing choices were more likely to have had online sexual advances.
Do you know how your daughter is presenting herself online? Have you talked with her about sexual predators who look for teen girls online?
