According to a new study from the University of New Hampshire, an increase in the arrests of online predators in recent years is the result of more enforcement, not a rise in the number of offenders.
Between 2000 and 2006, researchers at the UNH saw a nearly fivefold jump in arrests for soliciting undercover investigators who posed as juveniles. During the same years, they say arrests for solicitation of actual children increased 21 percent.
Throughout the decade, the federal government helped fund Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces across the country. Some states have updated their laws to address online solicitations.
Researchers say the Internet remains a relatively safe place for kids to be. They point out that the arrests of online predators in 2006 represent just 1 percent of all arrests for sex crimes against minors, which declined overall.