Broadband Internet: An Information Superhighway to Sex Crime?

doi:10.2139/ssrn.1881507

Paper

Broadband Internet: An Information Superhighway to Sex Crime?

Published Apr 13, 2011 · Manudeep Bhuller, Tarjei Havnes, E. Leuven

Economics of Networks eJournal

UNKNOWN SJR score

175

Citations

14

Influential Citations

Full textSemantic Scholar

Abstract

Does internet use trigger sex crime? We use unique Norwegian data on crime and internet adoption to shed light on this question. A public program with limited funding rolled out broadband access points in 2000-2008, and provides plausibly exogenous variation in internet use. Our instrumental variables and fixed effect estimates show that internet use is associated with a substantial increase in reported incidences of rape and other sex crimes. We present a theoretical framework that highlights three mechanisms for how internet use may affect reported sex crime, namely a reporting effect, a matching effect on potential offenders and victims, and a direct effect on crime propensity. Our results indicate that the direct effect is non-negligible and positive, plausibly as a result of increased consumption of pornography.

Highly Cited

Study Snapshot

Key takeawayInternet use is associated with a substantial increase in reported sex crimes, likely due to increased consumption of pornography.

PopulationOlder adults (50-71 years)

Sample size24

MethodsObservational

OutcomesBody Mass Index projections

ResultsSocial networks mitigate obesity in older groups.

Broadband Internet: An Information Superhighway to Sex Crime?

References

Citations