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Sheriff Whisenant's
Tip of the Month
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May
2020
Internet Safety & Children
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An unfortunate
reality is there are MILLIONS of online sexual predators accessing the
internet each day. One of the
most commonly used mediums by
these predators is the use of mobile instant messaging applications. Some
of the more popular ones among children and teens include Instagram,
Snapchat, KIK, and Skout, but there are endless other applications out
there that your child can download on their cell phones, tablets, and
computers.
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Today, the
internet makes it alarmingly easy for online predators to make contact with
children. Most often, the predator will establish an online profile
claiming to be a teenager so that other teens or children will feel more
comfortable talking to them. Additionally, they will search for public
information on profiles to help find teens geographically near them. Once
they do this, they will make contact with that child. Many of these
predators are master manipulators and will gain your child's trust via a
process termed "grooming" by experts. "Grooming" is
when a predator will earn an unsuspecting child's trust by first
befriending them, empathizing with them over things the child complains
about, or complimenting the child by telling them they are attractive. Once
trust is gained, a predator will then usually start requesting photographs
of the child. As the photograph sharing progresses, the predator will then
start asking the child to send photographs of themselves partially clothed,
and then ultimately will request pornographic images. In most cases, during
the course of this "grooming", the predator will also send
pornographic images to the child. This is a process that can take a mere
couple of days, or might take weeks, depending on the length of time it
takes the predator to earn the child's trust. Sometimes, after a trust has
been established and images have been exchanged between the child and the
predator, the predator might make a request to meet with the child in
person. Sadly, many times the child will agree and will secretly meet the
predator because by that time, an emotional connection has been made.
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The most
recent trend is pedophiles approaching children via online video game
platforms. These platforms allow the use of two-way voice and video
communication. Many parents who are already vigilant in monitoring their
children's Internet activity have not considered that predator's are also
using video gaming platforms to make contact with children and begin this
same "grooming" process.
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SOME ADVICE FOR PARENTS:
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- Educate
your children and promote online safety. Make sure your child is aware
of the dangers described above, and including that predators do set up
"fake profiles" posing as children themselves.
- Monitor
your children's internet use. There are computer programs available
that can assist you with this. Remember that teens are not always
honest with parents about their online activities.
- Encourage
your children to not leave any personal information "public"
on their online profiles. Additionally, encourage them to not
"friend" anybody that they do not know personally. Once you
"friend" somebody on a social networking site, they have
access to any information your child posts about themselves, including
photographs.
- Encourage
your child to not post any photographs accessible by the
"public" that might have identifying information in them,
such as your child wearing a shirt with their school name written
across the front.
- Parents
are encouraged to know their children's passwords and monitor what
social media sites they visit and what type of chat programs they have
on their different devices.
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THINGS AN ONLINE SEXUAL PREDATOR LOOKS FOR:
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- Target
children with lower self-esteem
- Target children
who are more technologically savvy than their parents. This makes it
less likely that the parents will discover the
"relationship" that the predator is cultivating with the
child.
- Social networking profiles with personal information that
is visible to the public (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, PlayStation
Network etc.). Many teens have information public such as: their
hometown, school, birth date, Instant Messaging ID's, favorite music,
favorite TV shows, etc. Predators can use this public information to
establish a connection and gain a child's trust. For example, a
predator might approach a child and begin a conversation by mentioning
they go to a school in a nearby town and mention they like the same TV
show the child likes. This is an effective way to strike up a
conversation with an unsuspecting child.
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A
Good Resource for Parents: The FBI's "Parent Guide to Internet
Safety" –
https://www2.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm
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If
somebody suspicious comes to your house, or you wish to report any
suspicious activity, please do not hesitate to call the
Burke
County Sheriff's Office at (828) 438-5500.
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To view previous released tips, visit our archives
file
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