The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tip line last year received 36.2 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation online.
It’s a disturbing trend mental health experts say every parent needs to be aware of.
“The numbers are shocking because they’re growing, they’re increasing.” Nicole Davidson-Harshaw, a licensed mental health counselor with Dupont Counseling Group, said.
She says now is the time to educate kids and teens about the dangers of sending explicit images to strangers.
The crime can happen on any platform.
“Gaming platforms, your messaging apps, even your social media. And, so the severity of the psychological trauma is very damaging for a child and a teen on their mental health well into their adulthood,” Davidson-Harshaw said.
What is sextortion? The FBI says it could start with a simple message from a stranger like, “Hey, I love gaming too, let’s chat.”
The message can escalate in requests for explicit pictures. Then, predators demand money or they’ll release the photos.
“There’s a lot of shame and guilt, and embarrassment that can come from having to go through something that they feel like they did something to cause what happened to them. And so there’s a real level of self-consciousness that could happen as an aftermath of having sexual exploitation experiences,” Davidson-Harshaw said.
Any child can become a victim. But, FBI data shows boys between ages 14 and 17 are the most common group to be exploited.
“The first thing we want to do as parents is listen calmly. When we listen to our children, that calm demeanor, that ability to not interrupt, not criticize, not chastise them, gives them an opportunity to feel like their voice is being heard. And they’re not invisible,” Davidson-Harshaw said.
It’s important to educate children about the risks of being online. Let them know to trust the adults in their life enough to share when they’ve been exploited.
Anyone being exploited should:
- Report the predator’s account via the platform’s safety feature.
- Block the predator from contacting you.
- Save the profile or messages; those can help law enforcement identify and stop the predator.
- Ask for help from a trusted adult or law enforcement before sending money or more images. Cooperating with the predator rarely stops the blackmail and harassment—but law enforcement can.
If you, your child, or someone you know is being exploited call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report it online at tips.fbi.gov