It’s uncomfortable to talk about, and parents don’t like to think about it. Unfortunately, it’s an unsavory situation that must be addressed: Our kids and teens are being targeted by predators seeking to groom and lure them into a dangerous trap. It’s happening through digital devices and the rise of social media. ¹

Despite Congressional hearings and parental protest, big tech has not done its due diligence to protect minors online. Because big tech won’t step up, we must. The first step is to become educated and the next is to take action to protect your children.

How Online Predators Work

When a child is alone with a digital device, they not only have access to the entire world – but the entire world also has access to them.

There are around 500,000 predators online anytime a child or teen is accessing social media.²

Predators spend all day searching for vulnerable victims on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Discord, Kik, TikTok, Tender, Omegle, Holla, WhatsApp, Roblox, Among Us, Grindr, Tumblr, Yik Yak and many more digital applications. Predators prey on our youth through a process called grooming. Grooming is when a predator seeks to build an emotional connection with a child to gain their trust for sexual purposes. It only takes 8 minutes for a predator to create a bond with a child online.² And according to the latest statistics, the average teen spends 8 hours online daily. You don’t have to be good at math to see this as a recipe for disaster.

Sextortion

The primary way groomers are abusing trust online is through “sextortion,” according to the Atlanta FBI Field Office. (Sextortion is the blending of the words extortion and sex.) Sextortion cases have shot up 700% since 2021. Males between the ages of 14 and 17 are the primary targets. ¹

Anyone Can Be a Victim of Sextortion

A sad example of this scheme is a scenario involving 17-year-old Gavin Guffey. Gavin was the son of South Carolina Representative Brandon Guffey. Gavin received a direct message from someone claiming to be a college female soccer player. This predator flirted by sending a nude photo. The predator asked for a nude photo in return, and Gavin, thinking he was connecting to a beautiful college girl, sent a nude photo of himself. The predator then demanded a sum of money. If Gavin didn’t send the money, the predator said they would post the nude photo on his social media and make sure his entire family saw the picture. Gavin venomed cash, and the predator kept asking for more. Within just a few hours of this playing out, Gavin took his life. Sadly, this isn’t an isolated incident.³

Applying the Pressure

These predators are usually tied to gangs outside of the country. They ask for money, for more photos or videos. The villains sometimes ask to meet in person, which can lead to other nefarious deeds, such as trafficking. The pressure on targeted teens is immense. It’s difficult for most to go to a trusted adult and admit they made a mistake. So, parents must have ongoing conversations with their kids and teens about how to report grooming or sextortion.

Sextortion can also occur when a criminal hacks into a webcam using a malware virus. Victims can be recorded if they don’t cover their webcams.

Nude Photos – Believe it or Not

Believe it or not, sending nudes is seen as a common practice in the dating world today. It’s probably difficult for most parents to fathom that 1 in 7 youth have sent a nude photo and 1 in 4 have received a nude photo.

Thus, we have a generation of youth creating their own child sexual abuse material, which winds up on online porn sites. In 2023, there were 45,000,000 images and videos flagged as child sex abuse material.

There are legal consequences for sending and sharing nude photos of minors. In Georgia, anyone sending photos could receive jail time and may have to register as a sex offender.

Groomers are Not Always Strangers

Groomers and predators are not always strangers. They can be coaches, counselors, teachers, youth pastors, family members, neighbors, and anyone who is acting as a mentor and who has access to your child.

In these cases, the groomers also gain the trust of parents.

What Parents Can Do

In summary, here are some things that concerned parents and citizens should go over with children:

• Have open discussions about grooming and sextortion with family and friends. Have them read this article.
• Do not send nude photos to anyone ever!
• Cover all webcam and computer cameras in the home.
• Be discerning when giving people access to kids.
• Adjust privacy settings on all online accounts.
• Report the sextortion to the platform where it occurred as soon as possible as well. They may be able to help identify the bad actor.
• Do not send predators money; save all photos and chat logs.
• If you know someone who wants to remove or stop the online sharing of an explicit image, go to ncmec.org. Take It Down will walk you through the necessary steps, and you can remain anonymous during the process.
• Push for legislation that protects minors in Georgia by calling and emailing your Senator and Representative.
• To report a case of sextortion, call the FBI at 1-800-CALL FBI or report the incident to ic3.gov. That is an Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Though it’s not an easy subject to confront, we must protect our kids from groomers and predators.

If you want to meet like-minded people and groups that are doing something about human trafficking, contact us HERE.

References

1. Sextortion: A Growing Threat Targeting Minors Public Affairs Officer Elizabeth Clement-Webb, January 23, 2024 FBI Memphis, https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/nashville/news/sextortion-a-growing-threat-targeting-minors
2. Online Grooming of Children for Sexual Purposes International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children 2017 https://www.icmec.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Online-Grooming-of-Children_FINAL_9-18-17.pdf
3. Sextortion How We Can Help You FBI https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-frauds-and-scams/sextortion/sextortion