This is the topic of most interest to me…
I highly recommend reading both :
From reading the cases - we can see the nature of exploitation has changed from the “pre-digital age”. Of course exploitation and abuse can and does occur in person - however the resources abusers have access to is much much larger. It doesn’t take much creativity to list out a few avenues
- Selection process : individuals or groups previously with this “desire” would be limited to children he could physically / geographically contact. This is no longer the case
- Victim selection : individuals or groups have a larger access of potential victims : they can filter using public data, make contact, and modify their “methodologies” based on the victim
- AI : From refining methodologies using AI, LLM generated grooming scripts, AI chatbots that sound like role models / idols, AI gives individuals and groups “aid” in every avenue of exploitation
- Communication : This may be the worst one… previously individuals with this “desire” would struggle to find a community, other interested individuals, or reinforce their beliefs. All of this is possible with the internet : individuals can now form groups, reinforce beliefs, communicate methodologies, and abuse on a scale not previously possible