Judith Levine

About the author: Judith Levine is the author of the forthcoming book In Search of Innocence: America's Battle over Children's Sexuality.

A group of influential psychotherapists has created a moral panic by exaggerating the problem of "children who molest." Yet these therapists have produced no research indicating how so-called child sex offenders differ in sexual behavior from normal adolescents. Overzealous child protection workers, encouraged by the child welfare system to report any suspicion of child sexual abuse, created a nightmare for one family when they accused a nineyear- old boy of being a budding sex offender.

Author's note: The names and identifying characteristics of the family members have been changed.

Tony Diamond is a troubled boy. Charming and tractable one minute, he may be...