Abstract:
The focus of this article will be on existing preventative measures that aim to restrict unacceptable activities of
sexual offenders on the Internet. An Information Technology theory, namely the gratification approach of
Blumler and Katz will be employed explaining why some paedophiles will make use of the Internet to stalk
potential child victims. Since many parents and caregivers are unaware of existing aids to help them to prevent
sexual predators to communicate with children via the Internet, an exposition of existing filtering and blocking
software is highlighted in this contribution. An overview of current legislation pertaining to Internet paedophilia
as well as an outline of the importance of parental awareness with regards to this phenomenon will be put
forward. Before engaging into the above mentioned aspects, the concepts that are central to this article are
defined.
