Empowering Parents

Parenting In The Digital Age

Throughout your child’s life, you’ve taught them how to be safe. You’ve explained that they shouldn’t microwave aluminum foil, play with matches, or bike down a huge hill without wearing their helmet. But human trafficking awareness might not be a part of your safety lessons. That makes sense, really. It’s almost too horrible to imagine that your child — or any child, for that matter — might be at risk of being in such a horrifying situation. But it happens far more often than you might think.

It can feel overwhelming to try to address such a scary issue, but with the right information and resources, you can be better equipped to help protect your child.

How Traffickers Can Target Your Child

Before the rise of the internet, a predator might approach a kid at the mall and then convince or force them to go to a secondary location. But social media has opened up many more possibilities. Today, a predator can strike up what seems like a harmless conversation online, but over weeks (or even months) of careful grooming, they’re able to manipulate a kid into exchanging personal information or even meeting up in person. They might also try to entice them by asking if they want to make some extra money through a modeling job, etc.

Some traffickers specifically target vulnerable children, such as those who have a caregiver with a substance use problem, have a drug or alcohol problem themselves, or who are facing poverty. In fact 1 in 3 teen runaways are recruited by a sex trafficker within just 48 hours of leaving home.

What Does Online Child Predator Behavior Look Like?

Most often, predators have one or more of the following goals:

To obtain explicit photos of children (or to share photos of their own)
To meet in person and engage in sexual activity
To engage in sexual conversation and/or online role-play
To receive some sort of financial benefit

Where Does Predatory Behavior Take Place Online?

To avoid detection, abusers will engage with their victims on anonymous messaging apps, through text messaging, or on livestreaming sites/apps. Sexual predators have been known to engage with victims on the following platforms:

Instagram
Snapchat
WhatsApp
TikTok
Kik
Tumblr
Reddit
Roblox
Fortnite
Wattpad

How Do I Talk To My Child About Predators?

If your child is old enough to access the internet or have a smartphone, they are old enough to discuss the online dangers. Part of this discussion should be centered around online safety and the consequences of risky behavior. Here are some additional conversation starters:

Remind your child of the importance of not sharing personally identifiable information or talking to people they don’t know in real life.
Show your child a news story about predators who met kids through the social media and/or gaming platforms your child uses.
Discuss the stages of grooming so they can identify the behavior in the future if needed.
Talk open and honestly about what would happen should they become a victim of grooming and remind them that they should always come to you if they find themselves in a dangerous situation.

How To Protect Your Child Against Online Predators?

Every child who is active online is at risk of being contacted by a potential predator. While that doesn’t mean social media should be banned altogether, it does mean that families should have thoughtful and ongoing discussions about how to use online platforms responsibly. When kids are informed about the risks inherent to life online, they are much less likely to be exploited.

It’s also important to remember that even the savviest kids can fall prey to predators. Melissa Marrow, a supervisory special agent on the FBI’s Child Exploitation Squad, puts it this way: “Regardless of if your child makes A’s or not, that child has the potential to become victimized through online technologies. I think it is very important for parents of all socioeconomic status[es] and with all different roles in society to take this problem very seriously.”

What Should I Do If My Child Encounters An Online Predator?

Should your child become a victim of grooming, you must be very careful not to confront them — this will likely cause them to shut down and leave out important information about the situation. While your emotions may range from anger to sadness, try to remain calm when speaking with your child as they navigate the traumatic experience. Whether they inform you of the situation directly or you discover it yourself, you should:

Save or take screenshots of messages (do not delete them)
Block the offender
Report the offender on any platform where they engaged with your child
Report the offender to local authorities and/or NCMEC’s CyberTipline

It’s common for parents to feel guilty or blame themselves in the aftermath. But understand that you’re not at fault and you’re not alone. There are a few resources available to help both you and your child:

Call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online at RAINN
Call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 800-4-A-CHILD (2-24453), which is available every day and around the clock.

Who Is Most Vulnerable?

Have an unstable living situation
Have a history of domestic violence
Has a caregiver of family member who has a substance abuse problem
Are runaways or involved in the juvenile justice of foster care system
Are undocumented immigrants
Have a history of sexual abuse
Are addicted to drugs or alcohol
Are facing poverty or economic need