When used right, the internet can aid the performance of tasks and finding information with ease. However, crimes can also be perpetrated easily with the use of internet resources. Children consume a lot of online materials and may come in contact with predators with bad intentions.
Crimes against children should not be treated nonchalantly, especially internet crimes. It is easy for offenders to prey on a child via the internet, especially when the child has unsupervised access to the internet. Studies conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation show that one in seven minors experience sexual advances they do not consent to online. More studies show that online child predators usually target minors between the ages of 10 to 17 years.
In Collin County and the United States in general, individuals guilty of perpetrating internet crimes face harsh penalties. In a bid to tackle internet crimes against children, the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention runs an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC program). The program was set up to assist law enforcement agencies in the state and counties tackle offenders that prey on kids via the internet. Collin County can benefit from technical support, judicial and criminal investigation support, public awareness, and victim aid from the program.
The Office of the Attorney General of Texas is in charge of the ICAC program in the state, including Collin County. The office has a cyber safety initiative that encourages the arrest and punishment of internet offenders against children through the Child Exploitation and Fugitive Apprehension Units. The OAG persuades individuals to educate themselves on cyber safety to recognize activities that qualify as an internet crime against children and also report them to the local law enforcement agency. You can contact the OAG:
Office of the Attorney General
300 West 15th Street
Austin, TX 78701
Phone: (512) 936-7863
You can also fill and submit the email contact card to ask about the ICAC program via email.
Types of Internet Crimes Against Children
Internet crimes against children occur online, and cases of such offenses have increased over the years because children have more access to electronic gadgets.
Texas State has laws to protect children online. The Texas Penal Code 33.021 penalizes the act of an adult purposely interacting with a minor in a lewd manner or sharing sexual materials with minors through electronic means.
Likewise, under the Texas Penal Code section 43.26, the promotion or ownership of child pornography is an offense that can result in a felony conviction for the offender. It occurs when an individual deliberately owns or accesses pornographic materials that involve a minor engaging in sexual conduct.