How to protect your children from predators online

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – April is Child Abuse Prevention month, and now is a more important time than ever to talk to your children about the dangers of the internet and know the signs that a child might show if they have become a victim.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, last year, the agency and Homeland Security Investigations received over 36 million reports of child sexual abuse and exploitation, a number that has risen over the decades.

Where predators once only had access to children within their vicinity, now since the invention of the internet, it has become easier than before for a predator to gain access to children and trick them into becoming victims. According to a report by The Lancet Child and Adolescent Journal, one in 12 kids are being exposed to sexual exploitation and abuse online.

There are many ways to protect a child from the internet, but as society has advanced, so to has the reliance on the internet for everyday life tasks. Norton Children’s says parents and guardians must play an impactful role when your child is ready to handle devices, and letting them know that you are there for support if they do experience anything online.

“It’s really an in-between, empowering and equipping them at the right stage that you as their trusted caregiver feels like they’re ready to have access to different sites and that they are ready to make those choices, and always letting them know that they can come to you. If there’s anything that seems off, their spidey senses telling them that there’s something that’s unusual about a conversation, or if they get into a situation they just don’t know how to handle, that’s when they come to you and that you’re not going to judge them. You’re not going to blame them. You’re going to be there to support them,” said Joelle Hirst, a Norton Children’s sexual assault nurse examiner.

Staying involved as a parent is crucial to keeping your children safe, however, it is also important to know the signs that a child may show if they are being exploited.

Hirst says if your child is pulling away from the family or exhibiting signs of depression or anxiety, those are possible sign your child could be a victim. Hirst expressed the importance of an adult always being available to a child if they need somewhere to turn to and to never judge a child who may have been victimized by someone online.