Child Cyber Exploitation
We work with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to help make the internet a safer place for our kids.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of our lives. For vulnerable children, the pandemic and associated shelter-in-place and quarantine measures have meant an increase in crises: less access to food, caregivers dying, and greater vulnerability to sexual abuse and exploitation.
The internet increasingly serves as a means of connection for friends, loved ones, and would-be predators with vulnerable youth, especially during the pandemic. Almost half of the parents surveyed reported their children viewed “inappropriate videos.” Unfortunately, child predators are also utilizing the Internet to gain access to children. The production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) by adults who prey upon children is a growing industry.
Online images depicting minors in sexually explicit ways is illegal, yet a recent study found that 40% of youth perceived the sharing of sexually explicit images as normal. Youth, sometimes unwittingly, participate in the increasing cache of pornographic material through the sharing of images and videos. The issue is complicated.
The impact of online victimization has far-reaching implications and, potentially, lifelong consequences. This is why we are committed to healing children impacted by abuse and exploitation through specialized therapeutic support. We believe that, together, we can reclaim the lives of children impacted by online exploitation (and other forms of abuse and exploitation) to pave the way for a brighter future for our youth and our world.
Red Flags for Teens:
Have you ever met the person in-person?
Nowadays, many connections are made online. It is not uncommon, particularly during the pandemic, that in-person meetings have not taken place. Healthy relationships have boundaries as to how quickly they progress. Online relationships are tricky because it is not always clear who has access to your communications. Decide what are your boundaries for how much and what you will share online.
Does the other person ask you to do things that make you feel uncomfortable?
Healthy relationships should be emotionally safe. Both parties should be considerate of each other’s likes and dislikes. If you are asked to do something that makes you uncomfortable (e.g. against your values, principles, or beliefs) that is a good time to evaluate the relationship.
Did the other person ask you to show your body/body parts on camera, send pictures or videos of yourself?
Online sexual imagery, particularly if you are under 18, can be considered child pornography. While sharing these pictures may be a form of self-expression, take a moment to consider once an image is shared it can be re-shared with others and have consequences you did not foresee.
Have you ever been threatened if you did not do something asked of you?
Threats in a relationship are always a sign of things going downhill. Get help right away if your online relationship becomes threatening. Common threats come in the form of conditional statements:
“If……...then
“If you don’t send the picture, then you don’t love me.”
“If you don’t send the picture then I am going to show it to everyone.”
