JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – No conversation may be as important as the one about the dangers of online predators and your child’s pictures and information ending up in the wrong hands.
The FBI wants parents to know what apps their kids are using and who they are talking to.
“These kids will either think they know who the subject is or it’s a friend of theirs or not, and they’ll end up enticing them to send these photos to them,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Collins.
As a parent, this is the worst-case scenario.
“You need to know what platforms and what social media that your children are accessing. You need to be engaged and involved with your children and you need to make them aware of the risk of them communicating with individuals online and sending pictures or videos that are inappropriate to people that they either know or even that they don’t know,” Collins said.
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There is no shortage of apps that students and teens use and there’s no shortage of predators using them either.
FBI agents said often the threats go undetected by parents.
“Sadly, more often than not, most parents don’t know. Parents are on their devices just as much. We’re in this world where they have this disconnect that we didn’t have before. So, the parents are on their phone just as much as their children are, and they’re not really paying attention to these threats that the children are faced with,” Collins said.
Collins said, generally speaking, there are predators everywhere, so don’t post anything online that reveals who and where you are or send out any pictures that show you without clothing.
Overall, don’t make yourself vulnerable, and if you do, don’t hide it.
“Some children feel like they’re at fault or they’re going to be in trouble for sending these explicit photographs or these videos that they’ve sent to these individuals. Children just need to know that they’re not at fault. You know, children are a vulnerable group in our society. They’re easily manipulated,” he said.
The FBI has a whole campaign called “Stop Sextortion” that aims to educate kids on how to avoid risky situations.
There is also a game online that allows students to pick their grade and work through the game learning important safety information and how to keep themselves safe.
“We have a number of resources on our website. One is ‘think before you post.’ It is just reminding children that they need to just do that. They need to think before they post or share content about themselves,” Collins said. “And then we have another one for younger children between third grade and eighth grade. It is an information resource for them.”
Collins said the Be Smart program brings in subject matter experts to help school boards and districts in the area.
“The point of that is to educate also to educate the children, but more importantly, to educate the parents so they know what to look for,” he said.
Agents say if you have been exposed, call the police, or reach out to the FBI in Jacksonville, which you can do online.