Predatory Coercion in Social Media and Protection of Children Online - A Critical Discourse Analysis Approach

Protecting children online has been a focus of research in psychiatry and sociology for many years. However, the anonymous nature of the Internet has made finding a solution to the problem of child protection online difficult. The current study proposes going beyond the identification of an individual online predator to the recognition of predatory discourse enacted via coercion within frames of communication in the discursive system of social media. The framework proposes the application of Critical Discourse Analysis to over 500 transcripts between adult online predators and adult volunteers of the group Perverted Justice. This framework lays the foundation for further research on the topic of protecting children online. Additionally, researchers, practitioners and public policy individuals are provided a suggested method for examining discourse in social media and improve upon the tools and methods for protecting children online.