SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Sextortion happens when a predator forms a relationship with a person online and then tries to get compromising photos or videos from them. Next, the criminal uses that sexual content to exploit them for more to either blackmail them for money or to exploit them for more content to be obtained online.
Kids and teens can be especially vulnerable. According to a study released by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, more than 10,000 children fell victim to sextortion in 2022. The following year that number jumped to 26,000.
U.S. Western District Attorney David Clay Fowlkes said aside from using social media to manipulate minors, criminals are now getting creative with artificial intelligence.
"These AI tools can allow voice generation, image generation, even video call generation to make an unsuspecting victim believe that they're talking to a friend or a real person that they actually know," Fowlkes said.
How can parents stay vigilant? Casey Atwood, a long-time social worker and Director of the Children's Safety Center in Springdale, said engaging in tough conversations with your children is key.
Parents can also create an electronic agreement with their child and install parental controls on their social media platforms like TikTok, X, Snapchat, and Instagram.
"They could have a parental control where they are able to see every single thing It mirrors their child's phone," Atwood said. "There are settings to notify parents of certain words in a text message like suicide, drugs, sexual terms, anything like that."
A commonly forgotten platform popular among kids is gaming platforms like Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite.
"A lot of parents don't realize that every game system has a chat function," Atwood said. "There's a lot of grooming and manipulation that can happen on these games."
For more resources on how to support your child, visit the Beau Biden Foundation's website.
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