When we were younger, our parents warned us about “stranger danger” just as their parents did when they were young. As children, we’re taught not to talk to strangers, not to accept rides from people we don’t know, and to refuse food from those we haven’t met. While this principle is still, and should be, passed down to our children, a new kind of danger has emerged. It is a real and present threat that we can’t see with our eyes and one capable of masquerading as something friendly, fun, or intriguing.
Without even realizing it, recent advancement in technology has resulted in many of us unknowingly inviting strangers into our homes. Our vulnerabilities are now not only physical and geographical but include games and apps we can access wherever we are. This means we give those we interact with online express invitations into our personal lives. Most adults are capable of sensing when something isn’t right and acting on our intuition. However, many children haven’t yet learned what stands out as a red flag or something that is too good to be true. The internet, in spite of all of its benefits, gives criminals and predators an easy way to reach our young people. Social media, gaming devices, and computers have become a portal, providing easy access to a much larger group of potential targets for exploitation and trafficking.
One common scenario goes something like this: traffickers use social media to find and manipulate victims into meeting with them before the trafficker kidnaps and exploits them. The University of Toledo conducted a study which found that social media is increasingly being utilized as a medium to contact, recruit, and sell children for sex because of their vulnerabilities and innocence, with the average age demographic being those 12 to 14 years old.
Now that we know this is a problem, what can we do?
Talk to your kids. These conversations can be hard but by having them, we can help keep our children out of harm’s way. It’s important that we provide practical safety tips to children and teens such as: not sharing personal information on the Internet, not accepting friend requests from people they don’t know, never sharing naked or revealing pictures of themselves, and telling a parent or trusted adult if they feel threatened or uncomfortable. These conversations can set our kids up to practice great online boundaries and learn what to look out for and communicate about as they interact with technology.
Know that it doesn’t have to be scary. Social media can be a wonderful tool to stay connected with our friends and family and learn new things. However, it’s up to us to make sure our kids know how to use it properly and minimize exposure. Perhaps, the most important advice for parents is to have open and continuous conversations with your kids about safe and appropriate behavior online. The key here is consistency. It’s also important for parents to educate themselves on the websites, games, software, and apps your kids are using and to check their social media and gaming profiles and posts. Explain to your children how images or comments that are posted online can be shared with anyone and are never truly removed from the internet. Update privacy settings or utilize parental controls on the platforms and establish rules that safeguard against meeting or chatting with someone they met online without your knowledge and supervision.
Discuss sexual abuse and sex trafficking with your kids. Use discernment about the age and maturity of your child before having this conversation, but examine ways that children, teens, and young adults are targeted for trafficking. Let them know that traffickers specifically, try to pursue young girls and boys with promises of a better life – whether it’s promises of love and attention or guarantees of nice things. Traffickers can be anyone; male, female, young, old, and may even be kids recruiting other kids. Teach kids that interactions or situations that feel weird or too good to be true warrant a conversation with a trusted adult or a parent. Reassure them that if anyone has or ever does hurt them, they can talk to you but be sure to be a comforting presence. If your child does come to you with a situation, don’t belittle the situation, criticize or mock the child; instead, leave the door open for your child to talk freely with you. Depending on the nature of the conversation, they may feel awkward or unnerving at first but the best thing we can do for them is to educate them.
All in all, remember that raising awareness about possible dangers and showing our kids how to enjoy the benefits of advancing technology safely can make all the difference when it comes to preventing trafficking and exploitation.
Written by Montana Banks, Freedom 4/24 Volunteer
Not sure where to start?
We’ve developed a mini-course for parents and youth!
We created a 25-minute video that covers important topics for youth and parents as they navigate relationships, social media, and protecting themselves from exploitation.
To access the Video, Facilitator Guide & Youth Worksheet, fill out the form at freedom424.org/videoaccess.