National Center for Missing and Exploited Children shares online safety tips in Bowling Green
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Parents, guardians and community members gathered Tuesday evening at the Bowling Green Public Library for a presentation focused on protecting children from online exploitation.
The event, led by a regional security specialist with the United States Secret Service in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), educated families about the risks children face through social media, online gaming and other digital platforms.
Rick Nord, a regional security specialist with the U.S. Secret Service, encouraged parents to recognize changes in their children’s behavior that could indicate they are experiencing online exploitation or harassment.
“We like to educate parents and guardians about what to look out for if there’s a change in behavior and the different situations they may not immediately recognize,” Nord said.
Event organizer Earl Henderson said the presentation was intended to help families better protect children in an increasingly digital world.
“Our children are our future,” Henderson said. “They’re our most precious resource and our most vulnerable resource.”
During the presentation, Nord encouraged young people to trust their instincts if they ever feel uncomfortable during an online interaction.
“We always talk to young men and young women about their ‘spidey senses,’” Nord said. “No one knows what makes them feel unsafe better than they do.”
He also reminded children that if they do not feel comfortable talking with a parent or another trusted adult, they can contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for help.
One topic discussed during the presentation was sextortion, a form of online exploitation in which someone threatens to share explicit images to extort or blackmail a victim.
Nord advised families not to delete images involved in a sextortion case before reporting the incident because the files may serve as important evidence.
“Once a photo gets out that’s inappropriate, we don’t want them to delete it,” Nord said. “We need that photo.”
Nord also highlighted NCMEC’s Take It Down program, a free service that helps young people remove or limit the spread of explicit images shared online.
“It does exactly what it says,” Nord said. “We work to take it down from social media platforms.”
Organizers say open communication between children and trusted adults remains one of the most effective ways to prevent online exploitation and respond quickly when concerns arise.
