The growing use of more advanced content-creation technology like generative AI is allowing illicit actors to produce more material to entice children online and is further fueling the rising threat to children
Tragically today a record number of children are being exploited online, and no child is immune from falling victim to sexual abuse. In fact, online child exploitation can take various forms including the distribution of child sexual abuse materials, sextortion schemes, and child sex trafficking.
Sextortion is a form of online blackmail in which children are tricked online into sending intimate pictures of themselves to people who then threaten to distribute the sexual images unless the victim complies with their demands, often money or additional explicit images.
Some of the facts about sexual exploitation among children are stunning, including that:
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- globally, more than 300 million children under the age of 18 have been affected by online child sexual exploitation and abuse in the last 12 months alone, according to Childlight Global Child Safety Institute;
- there are more than 36 million reports of suspected online child sexual exploitation in the United States alone in 2023, according to U.S. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC);
- between 2021 and 2023, there was a more than 300% increase in the continued rise of financial sextortion and reports of online enticement of children in the US, according to the NCMEC.
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More importantly, the growing use of more advanced content-creation technology like generative AI (GenAI) to produce material depicting child sexual abuse is further fueling the rising threat to children, which include AI-generated images of such materials to extort real images from children and AI-generated images of real children that are manipulated to make it appear as though the child is nude or engaged in sexual acts.
Raising awareness among caregivers is critical
Education campaigns, such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s know2protect and Thomson Reuters’ Safe Settings campaign continue to provide parents, caregivers, and others with children in their lives, critical information they need to help keep children safe online. Real online safety starts, and continues, by creating a safe environment to talk openly with children about the dangers of online exploitation. Indeed, it’s important to create physical safe settings by sharing age-appropriate resources on how kids can safely navigate online, and it’s also important to use the built-in safe settings on those websites and platforms to which kids have access.
You can learn more Thomson Reuters’ Safe Settings campaign here.
When it comes to protecting younger children from online risks, it’s essential to teach them basic safety rules, which Homeland Security suggests should include:
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- Protect children with basic steps — Start by instructing them not to click on pop-ups, share personal information online, or trust people they meet online.
- Report questionable content — Create a plan with them on what to do if they encounter inappropriate content, such as looking away and telling a trusted adult.
- Teach kindness — Teach children online etiquette and respect for others, and ensure they know to whom to turn for help if they feel disrespected or uncomfortable.
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For tweens and teens, the conversation should focus on more advanced online safety topics, such as:
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- No sharing of personal information — Discuss the dangers of posting personal information or inappropriate content, and the permanency of online data.
- Teach privacy, recognize predators, and find help — Ensure privacy and teach teens how to set up privacy controls on their devices, recognize warning signs of online predators, and identify trusted adults to whom they can turn for help.
- Discuss sexting, cyberbullying, and other legalities — Share information about sexting, cyberbullying, and the importance of not sharing sexual abuse material, which is illegal.
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For caregivers, it is important to recognize that educating kids about online safety is a process. Having an open and honest conversation with them about the potential risks and consequences of their online behavior occurs best by using two-way dialogue to ensure your child feels comfortable sharing their concerns and experiences.
Steps caregivers can take now
In addition to this open conversation, there are several practical steps that caregivers can take to further safeguard their child’s online activities. These include password-protecting their app store and gaming downloads, setting time and area limits for device use, and setting all apps, games, and devices to private. Turning off location data services on social media and non-essential apps in order to prevent unwanted tracking is also recommended.
Further, educating children about the permanence of online data and the potential long-term consequences of their online actions is also key to having them avoid negative outcomes later. One tool for parents is creating a contract with their child that outlines expectations around online behavior and consequences for misbehavior. Also, create a safety plan in case the child encounters a potentially dangerous situation. Monitoring their friend lists to remove any strangers and warning them about the dangers of chatting with unknown individuals on different platforms are additional best practices.
If a child does fall victim to a predator, avoid forwarding any explicit content and deleting any messages, images, or videos. Instead, save evidence — including usernames, screenshots, and images or videos — for law enforcement to collect directly from the device.
Raising awareness among caregivers is paramount in the fight against online child exploitation. And arming caregivers with the knowledge and tools to create a safe online environment can mitigate the devastating effects of child exploitation and ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive in a safe and healthy digital world.
You can learn more ways to protect children from exploitation and abuse here.
