Granted, offenders who can legally be monitored for their online behaviors should be prevented from engaging in any precursor acts to grooming. The rehabilitation process should include the development of healthy online behaviors and habits.
Specific features of online communication make it so that grooming is easy for sex offenders. It is also difficult if not impossible to prevent sex offenders from using the Internet to perpetrate their criminal behaviors. Therefore, the best solution is to target the other end of the equation and empower communities, parents, and children. Research is increasingly revealing the value of education and community interventions in teaching children about what warning signs to look out for when using the Internet (Davidson & Gottschalk, 2011). Some research also shows that prevention efforts that help young people use the internet more responsibly are also more effective when coupled with anti-bullying and other mental health interventions that target the psychosocial problems related to vulnerability...
An approach that empowers the most at-risk youth might help reduce the prevalence of sex offences, by reducing the likelihood of an offender finding a suitable target.
As tempting as it is to ban sex offenders from social media sites, doing so is an unfeasible solution. A more effective solution would be twofold, and focus on the rehabilitation of the offender coupled with the empowerment of the community. The Internet makes criminal behavior painfully easy. Those predisposed to criminal behaviors of any type will find a way to perpetrate their crimes. Therefore, educating families and communities about the risk factors and warning signs seems like the most sensible intervention.
References
Davidson, J. & Gottschalk, P. (2011). Characteristics of the Internet for criminal child sexual abuse by online groomers. Criminal Justice Studies 24(1): 23-26.
Ybarra, M.L. & Mitchell, K.J. (2008). How risky are social networking sites? Pediatrics…
