CLINTON, Ark. — Officials in Van Buren County have been sounding the alarm and warning the community of a rise in child exploitation cases.
It's a national problem that has seen a concentrated uptick since the start of the school year there. These days, many of us adults and teens spend our free time looking at screens— however, many children do too.
While social media can be a positive tool for connecting with friends and family, it's important to remember that not everyone is who they say they are.
"Those people could want to cause you a great deal of harm, and that's our ultimate goal, is to prevent it in the first place," explained Judge Dale James with Van Buren County.
Unfortunately, online predators have been targeting kids in Arkansas, and Judge James said that it's happening close to home.
"It's heartbreaking, and to know of that and not do something about it is inexcusable," he described.
That's why he took to social media on Thursday to try and bring attention to a problem that he said has reached crisis level.
Chasta Harrison with the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office said that their department has seen a 600 percent increase in child exploitation cases in 2024.
"Mainly what I see is out of state. We've even had one from Australia. I mean, they just come on and Snapchat, of course, suggests like random friends, and these kids will add them and strike up a friendship, and then it changes," Harrison explained.
"It shouldn't be even fathomable for our children to believe that they should be sending an X-rated photo of themself," James said.
Harrison said the victims are usually girls in the age range of 11 to 15 years old.
"I think that we as a community need to be more educated on how to see the warning signs, how to prevent it, what to do whenever it actually does happen, who to report it to," she explained.
That's where Brooke Lasley, a family advocate at Children's Advocacy Alliance, comes in.
"We give them support because this is a hard time. You know, their child is a victim of a crime," Lasley described.
When it comes to preventing this from happening to your child, Lasley recommends monitoring what they're doing online and on their phone.
"I just suggest to be involved. You might be the annoying parent, but it's worth it," she added.
When it comes to arrests, Harrison said that the suspect she mentioned from Australia is now in prison.