Tips for Caregivers

The digital world has taken sexual exploitation to a whole new level, in three distinct ways. Here's what every caregiver needs to know — and how to protect the kids you love.

Sexting & Image-Based Sexual Abuse

Sexting can lead to image-based abuse when a recipient shares materials without the sender’s consent. Once these images hit online platforms, they’re difficult to recover.

Predators & Online Grooming

Most grooming now occurs on online platforms. Any child on any social media platform is exposed to predators who have access to them on their devices.

Exposure to Pornography

Porn is the most detrimental to the sexual framework of children and teens. It is accessible, impressionable, and addictive.

Accessible

Literally a click away. With over 1.3 million porn sites online, kids are exposed to degrading sex acts on screen — now the most common form of sex ed for adolescents.

Impressionable

Not an accurate depiction of intimacy — 88% of scenes show violence. Kids learn an unnatural, violent way to sexually engage with others.

Addictive

Porn is the new drug of Generation Z — extremely addictive, hijacking the frontal lobe of the brain and acting like a drug.

Find more info: Just a click away Campaign

The digital world has caused a major shift in the framework of sexuality and has aligned vulnerable minors with image-based abuse, predators, and porn. But there is hope — to intercept the exploitation of minors, start early. Have conversations with children. And monitor their devices.

PROTECT GIRLS & BOYS

Talking to your children about sex, pornography, and exploitation will be the hardest conversation you’ll ever be glad you had. Be bold. Start the conversation. Safeguarding kids and teens means having candid, age-appropriate conversations with boys and girls about online predators, the dangers of pornography, and the detriments of sharing personal images with others.

For young girls, self-concept and an accurate perception of their own value are the guiding compass for every choice they’ll make, even decisions involving sexuality. Start early by giving your children a strong sense of self-worth. For boys, their character and their exposure to accurate perceptions of women is a guiding compass for their decisions in sexual intimacy. Build strong boys with the capacity to value themselves and value others.

Many victims of the sex trade industry enter the life before the age of 15. (World Without Exploitation)

Online predators groom boys and girls online. Grooming is the process of manipulating and coercing a minor into activity online that can become sexually exploitative — “a term used broadly to describe the tactics abusers deploy through the internet to sexually exploit children.” (Thorn.org)

1 in 7 runaway children are “likely” sex trafficked. (Polaris Project)

Talking to children about these sensitive issues doesn’t instigate their interest or risk of being a victim of sex trafficking or being a trafficker. Not talking about these issues, will.

Pornography is now the leading form of sex education to adolescents, and depicts degrading and violent sexual images.

You Can Encourage Online Safety for the Minors in Your Home

Encourage children and teens to only view material online that they’d feel comfortable viewing with you (their guardian) beside them.

Remind them not to send pictures of themselves to others — even friends. These pictures can be used against them in threats and entrapment. If they already have, be open enough for them to come to you about how to move beyond their mistake. It’s important they know they won’t be judged or punished for coming forward.

Teach them to avoid interacting with any new “friends” online. A friend is not an online profile picture of someone they don’t know well. Predators often manipulate children and teens with lies, flattery, and false personas.

Reinforce that they should never meet anyone they are connected with online, for any reason.

Teach them to avoid conversations on social media, texting, video apps, or online gaming systems with anyone they don’t personally know. “Personal” means a person they have had multiple face-to-face interactions with and has proven to be trustworthy.

Guide them to trust their gut. When something doesn’t feel right, it isn’t. Be courageous and leave or exit any interaction or material that instigates a gut reaction.

Uplift them and constantly remind them of their immense value, worth, and promising futures — and that you are always there for them.