Post by cyber4eva on Sept 23, 2019 23:19:51 GMT
I frequently read about teenagers that lie about their age online. They may have different reasons for it. Some like to think that it's exciting to date and chat with older individuals; and may think that they wouldn't be interested in such contact if they knew your true age.
But while lying for dating and chatting purposes isn't illegal, introducing yourself as older than you really are to gain access to memberships, products and services that are prohibited for you to obtain at your actual age is, online as well as offline.
The same laws apply in cyberspace as in real life, also regarding sex-related crimes. A Swedish guy was recently convicted for 'virtual rape' against three girls in Canada and others elsewhere based solely on the nature of his online interactions with them, marking one of the first known times someone has been found guilty of an offence without being physically in the room with the victim. The court's decision sends a clear signal that sexual acts performed under threats of violence issued online can be every bit as serious and traumatic as physical attacks.
And if the victims of such 'cyber assaults' are younger than what the perpetrator is led to believe, they are even more impressionable and fragile to cope with the ordeal than older girls would have been. Maybe the 'rapist' would even have thought twice if he had known the real age of his victims, since he would have known that the penalties are much more severe for crimes against underaged people.
Another aspect is that such people train themselves to become generally dishonest. If you say you are 21 and are actually 14, you must be able to tell a coherent story that seems plausible for a person seven years older. It can be very difficult to reflect that you are indeed 21 without slipping up and giving away your secret. And even if you succeed, you must also maintain the lie as long as the situation for which you need the lie exists. This unfortunate jump start on an adult life under false pretences may eventually lead you to carry the dishonesty with you out in the real world and continue the deception there.
But while lying for dating and chatting purposes isn't illegal, introducing yourself as older than you really are to gain access to memberships, products and services that are prohibited for you to obtain at your actual age is, online as well as offline.
The same laws apply in cyberspace as in real life, also regarding sex-related crimes. A Swedish guy was recently convicted for 'virtual rape' against three girls in Canada and others elsewhere based solely on the nature of his online interactions with them, marking one of the first known times someone has been found guilty of an offence without being physically in the room with the victim. The court's decision sends a clear signal that sexual acts performed under threats of violence issued online can be every bit as serious and traumatic as physical attacks.
And if the victims of such 'cyber assaults' are younger than what the perpetrator is led to believe, they are even more impressionable and fragile to cope with the ordeal than older girls would have been. Maybe the 'rapist' would even have thought twice if he had known the real age of his victims, since he would have known that the penalties are much more severe for crimes against underaged people.
Another aspect is that such people train themselves to become generally dishonest. If you say you are 21 and are actually 14, you must be able to tell a coherent story that seems plausible for a person seven years older. It can be very difficult to reflect that you are indeed 21 without slipping up and giving away your secret. And even if you succeed, you must also maintain the lie as long as the situation for which you need the lie exists. This unfortunate jump start on an adult life under false pretences may eventually lead you to carry the dishonesty with you out in the real world and continue the deception there.
