Exploring detection of contact vs. fantasy online sexual offenders in chats with minors: Statistical discourse analysis of self-disclosure and emotion words
Abstract
This exploratory study is the first to identify content differences between youths' online chats with contact child sex offenders (CCSOs; seek to meet with youths) and those with fantasy child sex offenders (FCSOs; do not meet with youths) using statistical discourse analysis (SDA). Past studies suggest that CCSOs share their experiences and emotions with targeted youths (self-disclosure grooming tactic) and encourage them to reciprocate, to build trust and closer relationships through a cycle of self-disclosures. In this study, we examined 36,029 words in 4,353 messages within 107 anonymized online chat sessions by 21 people, specifically 12 youths and 9 arrested sex offenders (5 CCSOs and 4 FCSOs), using SDA. Results showed that CCSOs were more likely than FCSOs to write online messages with specific words (first person pronouns, negative emotions and positive emotions), suggesting the use of self-disclosure grooming tactics. CCSO's self-disclosure messages elicited corresponding self-disclosure messages from their targeted youths. These results suggest that CCSOs use grooming tactics that help engender youths' trust to meet in the physical world, but FCSOs do not.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Some predators use grooming tactics to convince the victim to meet online while other predators do not.
“However, a difference is that some predators use grooming tactics to convince the victim to meet online while the other predators do not [35].”
From Online grooming detection: A comprehensive survey of child exploitation in chat logs (2023) · cites this paper as [35]
In Chiu et al.'s data, there were 4353 messages, 12 victims, and nine predators.
“The data included 4353 messages where there were 12 victims and nine predators.”
From Online grooming detection: A comprehensive survey of child exploitation in chat logs (2023) · cites this paper as [35]
Chiu et al. [35] performed exploratory research to investigate the difference in the content of an online predatory conversation of a contact-driven predator versus that of a fantasy-driven predator who does not have any intention to meet the victim in person.
“Chiu et al. [35] have performed exploratory research to investigate the difference in the content of an online predatory conversation of a contact-driven predator versus that of a fantasydriven predator who does not have any intention to meet the victim in person.”
From Online grooming detection: A comprehensive survey of child exploitation in chat logs (2023) · cites this paper as [35]
Some predators like to meet the victim in person (Contact Child Sex Offenders, CCSO), while some are fantasy-driven and not willing or interested in meeting the child in the real world (Fantasy Child Sex Offender, FCSO).
“In addition, some predators like to meet the victim in person (called handson child predators or Contact Child Sex Offenders (CCSO)).At the same time, some are just fantasy-driven, and they are not willing or interested in meeting the child in the real world (Fantasy Child Sex Offender (FCSO)) [35].”
From Online grooming detection: A comprehensive survey of child exploitation in chat logs (2023) · cites this paper as [35]
Predators who intend to meet their victims in person have different motives than those who merely have sexual fantasies about their victims.
“Predators who intend to meet their victims in person have different motives than those who merely have sexual fantasies about their victims [35].”
From Online grooming detection: A comprehensive survey of child exploitation in chat logs (2023) · cites this paper as [35]
Predators use particular words such as first-person pronouns and negative and positive emotional expressions.
“They also use particular words such as first-person pronouns and negative and positive emotional expressions.”
From Online grooming detection: A comprehensive survey of child exploitation in chat logs (2023) · cites this paper as [35]
The threat of the fantasy-driven predator is as critical as the threat of the contact-driven predator because they are more likely to repeat their online acts.
“The threat of the fantasydriven predator is as critical as the threat of the contact-drive predator because they are more likely to repeat their online acts.”
From Online grooming detection: A comprehensive survey of child exploitation in chat logs (2023) · cites this paper as [35]
Generally, predators talk about their prior experience with the new victim to build a confidential relationship.
“It was found that generally, predators talk about their prior experience with the new victim to build a confidential relationship.”
From Online grooming detection: A comprehensive survey of child exploitation in chat logs (2023) · cites this paper as [35]
The citation lists haven’t been fetched yet
References 60 · Cited by 35
- Authors
- Chiu, M. M., Seigfried-Spellar, K. C., & Ringenberg, T. R.
- Affiliations
- Education University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
- Corresponding author
- Chiu, Ming Ming
- Venue
- Child Abuse & Neglect
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-07
- Volume
- 81
- Pages
- 128-138
- ISSN
- 0145-2134 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2802965656
- Cited by
- 35
- References
- 60
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6
- FWCI
- 3.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Child Abuse & Neglect (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Cybercrime and Law Enforcement Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Keywords
- online grooming, self-disclosure, emotional words, first-person pronouns, child sexual abuse prevention
- MeSH terms
- Online Social Networking, Adolescent, Child, Emotions, Fantasy, Female, Humans, Language, Male, Self Disclosure, Sex Offenses, Internet, Minors, Criminals, Text Messaging
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
