Cambridge, Mass. - A study on the threats and dangers that minors are exposed to online has concluded that they are "in most cases not significantly different than those they face online," and that the biggest threats may actually come from other children, rather than from adults.

Published by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, the report was compiled by the Internet Safety Technical Task Force, a group of academics and technology experts created last year by 49 state attorneys general in the wake of child privacy issues raised by sites like MySpace and Facebook.

"Minors are not equally at risk online," the report said. "Those who are most at risk often engage in risky behaviors and have difficulties in other parts of their lives."

"The risks minors face online are complex and multifaceted and are in most cases not significantly different than those they face offline, and ... as they get older, minors themselves contribute to some of the problems."

The Task Force also found that young people more often received sexual solicitations from other minors, noting that this fact is not often addressed in online safety discussions.

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/a2eop (Reuters)

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/4987

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/pubrelease/isttf/