Parents – when was the last time you really checked your child’s social media

We all like to think we trust our children, but even the most innocent children can be duped into sharing more information online than they should.

As this report points out, the “snatch and grab” method of child trafficking is not what usually happens. Instead, traffickers are most often connecting with children online, even through some children’s apps.

As this article from Fox2News points out.

Messages often involve flattery and attempt to make the child feel understood, important and popular. Over time, the messages may become more graphic or the trafficker may ask for nude photos.

“It’s not going to appear to that child that this is a stranger,” said Cindy Malott, Director of Advocacy Services for Crisis Aid International. “They’re going to think it’s someone they know.”

Anderson said age is the common denominator among victims. Traffickers feed on insecurities many young people face.

“All adolescents are going to encounter periods of insecurity, periods of feeling isolated, or feeling depressed,” said Anderson. “Those are the types of vulnerabilities, particularly those we are seeing who are looking for children online are preying on.”

From <https://fox2now.com/news/sex-traffickers-using-social-media-to-target-children/>

All it takes is one rendevous with a predator for things to go terribly wrong, and unfortunately, things get even worse from there on out. Most predators are sly enough to mentally manipulate their young victims into keeping all these terrible experiences to themselves, preventing them from asking for help.

The only way to prevent it is to never let it happen in the first place. That requires maybe taking a tougher-than-you-want approach to your child’s unrestricted use of their phone or social media.

Get involved – if you love your child – you owe it to them to protect them from these slimy predators.