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Talk to your kids about online predators before it’s too late
This number makes me sick. The FBI says 90% of sexual advances against kids happen in chatrooms or on instant messaging platforms. Now more than ever, it’s important to talk to your kids about online predators.
The thing is these creeps have all kinds of tactics. Today, I’m sharing a few stories you can pass along to your family. If this keeps one person safe, I did my job.
✅ Bait and switch
This past week in Glendale, Arizona, a 37-year-old man asked a 14-year-old girl walking home from school for her phone number. She was clever: She gave him her mom’s number instead.
Later that day, he started texting. The girl’s mother answered, and then the police took over as he requested naked pics and asked her to keep their convo a secret. They set up a meeting, and the pervert was arrested.
Arm them with info. Discuss with your kids how to refuse when a stranger asks for their phone number, email address or social media handle. If they don’t feel safe saying no, tell them to give the requestor your info instead.
✅ To catch a catfish
A 26-year-old used Snapchat and Instagram to groom teen girls. Alexander McCartney pretended to be their age, then he spent a lot of time and energy becoming a close “friend.” Eventually, he’d request explicit images.
Tragically, a 12-year-old victim took her life after McCartney coerced her and her sister into sending him adult photos. Eighteen months later, the victim’s father took his life, as well. Heartbreaking.
McCartney was found guilty of a staggering 185 charges, including online child sexual abuse, blackmail and manslaughter.
Warn your kids about catfishing. Online, it’s easy for predators to pretend to be just about anyone to get what they want. When my son, Ian, was younger (and to this day), I made sure he knew he’d never, ever be in trouble if he told me someone asked him to do something that made him feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
✅ Game over
Betsy Allen’s 12-year-old son was obsessed with an online racing game. He met another kid in the game’s chatroom, and, three months later, they moved their conversation to the chat app Discord. Spoiler: The other “kid” was an adult grooming Betsy’s child. Betsy eventually discovered the predator was trying to buy her son a plane ticket. So frightening.
Stay in-app only. Most apps geared toward kids have at least some controls in place to keep out predators. When chats move elsewhere, there’s far less protection — or none at all.
✅ Have the talk
It’s important to know the same kinds of abuse can happen on huge platforms like Roblox, too. Just because your kid is playing a big-name game doesn’t mean they’re immune. I know, this can be a tough conversation to have with a child.
One way to start is by saying something like, “I was reading about what happened to a girl (or boy) your age. It must’ve been really scary for them.” Then, share as much detail as you think they’re ready to handle, and remind them they can always come to you, no matter what.
🫶 Keep the kiddos in your circle safe. Share this with a parent and consider it your good deed of the day.
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Tags: adult content, children, cybersecurity, kids, predators, safety, sextortion
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