<p> "Whenever a student, client, or journalist asks for literature on pedophilia or online sexual offending against children, I always recommend the first edition of this book by Michael Seto-it's truly my favorite. The writing is clear and pedagogical, providing an authoritative overview of all the relevant information and scientific facts. Being a world-leading expert in the field, Michael Seto offers a profound, humanistic understanding of these complex issues. I'm thrilled that there is now a second edition!"<br /><br /> - Christoffer Rahm, MD, PhD, specialist in psychiatry and Associate Professor at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Principal Investigator of several clinical trials directed to individuals with sexual interest in children Why do people use the internet to cause sexual harm? What can we do about it? </p> <p> "This book provides the best available account of this rapidly changing field: thoughtful, evidence-based, and practical." - R. Karl Hanson, PhD, C Psych, Adjunct Professor, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada; President, SAARNA: the Society for the Advancement of Actuarial Risk Needs Assessment. </p> <p> "This book is a must-read for professionals seeking to understand and prevent online sexual offending. Dr. Michael Seto is the foremost authority on online sexual abuse and this second edition provides readers with the most current research on the assessment, treatment, and prevention of online sexual abuse." - Elizabeth L. Jeglic, PhD, Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, NY, United States </p> <p> "Michael Seto's <i>Online Sexual Offending: Theory, Practice, and Policy</i> (2nd edition) addresses significant changes in the technological and political landscapes since its original 2013 publication (published as<i> Internet Sex Offenders</i>). It focuses on current and future trends in online sexual offending, including acts that may not yet be criminal in some judicial areas. The book is a valuable and original resource for both researchers and practitioners, especially concerning risk management and prevention. It adopts a public health framework and emphasizes evidence-based practices, making it an essential reference in the field." - Ethel Quayle, CBE, Professor of Forensic Clinical Psychology, COPINE Research, Clinical & Health Psychology School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. </p> <p> "Seto is the authoritative source on online offending, and this prodigious overview of the evidence is the go-to resource for everyone wanting to check on what the current state of knowledge is." - David Finkelhor, PhD, Crimes Against Children Research Center, Family Research Laboratory, Department of Sociology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States. </p> <p> "This book is a must-read for trust and safety practitioners and scholars, discussing cutting-edge research on child exploitation in an accessible manner. Seto covers a range of topics, from how perpetrators use online services to exploit children to research on factors associated with these behaviors." - Shelby Grossman, PhD, Research Scholar, Stanford Internet Observatory, Stanford, CA, United States.</p>
Clinical and forensic psychologist Michael C. Seto keeps readers up with this ever-evolving problem as technology advances and presents new risks, particularly for children and adolescents. He reviews updated research on topics like child pornography, sexting and other sexual content generated by minors, online sexual solicitation and trafficking, digital exhibitionism and voyeurism, AI-generated pornography, deepfakes, and virtual sex dolls.
He also describes new and revised tools and guidelines for assessing and treating perpetrators-particularly those committing offenses involving children and adolescents-and preventive measures to help at-risk individuals and to guide parents, minors, and bystanders to protect children and adolescents online.
In addition to empirical research on various types of online sexual offending, Seto explores what drives perpetrators to engage in these behaviors, focusing particularly on the motivation-facilitation model.
Introduction: The Growing Problem of Online Sexual Offending
Chapter 1. Prevalence and Characteristics of Internet Sexual Offending
Chapter 2. Child Sexual Exploitation Material
Chapter 3. Sexual Solicitation of Minors
Chapter 4. Other Online Sexual Offending
Chapter 5. Etiology of Online Sexual Offending and the Motivation-Facilitation Model
Chapter 6. Risk and Other Clinical Assessment of Online Sexual Offending Perpetrators
Chapter 7. Treatment of Online Sexual Offending Perpetrators
Chapter 8. Prevention of Online Sexual Offenses
Chapter 9. Conclusions and Future Directions: Understanding and Preventing Online Sexual Offending
Appendix A. Child Pornography Offender Risk Tool (CPORT) and Correlates of Admission of Sexual Interest in Children Scale (CASIC) Scoring Guidelines
References
Index
About the Author