COPA Child Online Protection Act of 1998.
What these law enforcement adults are doing is proper and legal.
What the predators are doing is illegal. (in this case, solicitation online)

Children do not know better, they can't think for themselves, their brains can't fathom what these -sick- adults have in mind. It's up to we adults to protect our children. Often children reach out to other adults in an effort to find the parenting they really crave...unfortunately the (generally) men are not planning to parent.

Also, many children who have been abused (neglect, sexual, physical, emotional) have learned how to please an adult, in an effort to prevent further abuse. Such children (usually girls) feel more mature because of this, inspite of their juvenile physical age.

Men and women who prey on children are not thinking straight, nor are they using self-discipline to prevent harm to children.

It's also common for those young ppl who have been abused, to side with someone who reaches out to them even if in an illegal manner, imo.

Men (and women) who engage in this type of activity are not innocent. They are sick. They will not seek help on their own, and will often give themselves all sorts of excuses for why they are not bad, but helpful to these children. The lies they tell prove they know better, they know what they are doing is bad. There is no other treatment at this point, imo. Unless they are caught, they will continue. Unless those watching the program, fearing being caught, seek help and work hard at changing their behavior, they also will continue because they doubt they will be caught.

There are plenty of men and women of mature age out there who would engage in legal activity with each other. Why should any allowance be given to someone who preys on the innocent children?

This is one area where tolerance doesn't apply, btw. (for those I've been chatting with about beliefs and tolerance..) A more liberal society, such as occur in 3rd world areas, might not find any issue with this activity. Indeed, there might not be the psychological impact there as there is here. (Would like links if someone has info on that.)

But in our western, modern society, this is just plain wrong, and ppl who do it need to be caught and punished. Becoming a societal outcast is only a mild punishment, imo.