Children put themselves at great risk by communicating online with individuals they do not know in person. When parents know the signs to look for, they’re in a better position to help keep their kids safe both online and in real life.
Predators often set their sights on vulnerable children, such as those who are emotionally fragile or have less parental oversight.
- Many predators initiate conversations on public chat apps or in the chat section of games for kids, pretending to be younger than they really are.
- Their first interactions with the child are generally pleasant and include light conversation to lower defenses and make their target feel important.
- The predator will attempt to deepen the relationship and gauge the level of threat he’s facing from the parents. He might ask questions to see how closely the child’s devices are monitored and try to figure out whether the child would be believed if they tell their parents about the relationship. During this time, kids may become more secretive about their online activity, so pay attention if their attitude changes when discussing what they do while they’re on their devices. Here, the predator might try to separate the child from their family by establishing himself as the most important person to them.
- After the child’s trust develops, the groomer may use sexually explicit conversations to test boundaries and exploit a child’s natural curiosity about sex. Predators often use pornography and child pornography to lower a child’s inhibitions and use their adult status to influence and control a child’s behavior.
-While some perpetrators might attempt to meet their victims in person, others carry out their sexual abuse entirely online. - When a predator starts to abuse a child, they will go to great lengths to maintain control and ensure the child is emotionally dependent on them. In most cases, the offender uses secrecy, blame, and even threats of retribution to keep children from saying anything. Let your kids know they can come to you when anyone asks them to do something they are not comfortable with, even if that person is an adult.