Safer Internet Day and how to protect the children in your life

Today (February 10) is Safer Internet Day. Attorney General Josh Kaul and the Wisconsin Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is raising awareness of some of the dangers kids currently face online and resources available for children, teens and parents. Two threats that teens currently face online include sadistic online exploitation and sextortion.

Sadistic online exploitation (SOE) occurs when offenders target children and persuade, induce, entice, or coerce them into recording themselves engaging in various types of degrading, humiliating, and violent acts. Offenders may use threats of violence, or of disclosing sensitive material showing the victim to coerce a victim’s compliance. 

Sextortion is a form of sexual exploitation where the offender threatens to release compromising material of the victim unless the victim sends money, gift cards, and/or additional sexual content, or engages in sexual activity. Children are particularly vulnerable to this type of crime. Sextortion has led to tragic consequences for victims, including mental health crisis and suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, the National Suicide Hotline is 988. You can call or text to reach a mental health professional.

Teens who may be victims of Sextortion need to remember, it’s not your fault! Tell a parent or trusted adult right away. Do not pay money or comply with the blackmailer’s requests. Block the suspect, but do not delete the messages or your profile to preserve potential evidence for law enforcement. Building awareness of current online risks that children face, while encouraging youth to connect with trusted adults when faced with stressors, results in real time assistance during potentially quickly escalating situations.  In addition to the resources above, youth can contact Speak Up, Speak Out (SUSO) 24 hours a day to get support and guidance for themselves or a peer. Learn more at speakup.wisdoj.gov.

The best way parents can protect children online is through creating and maintaining open lines of communication. Prepare your children for the online world by talking to them about dangers and risks online, as well as their online activity, including the websites they are visiting, the people they are communicating with, the information they are posting about themselves, and any situations that make them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused.  Additional resources can be found on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s website missingkids.org/home.

If you or someone you know has information on potential child exploitation, you can report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children online at CyberTipLine.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678.

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