1 in 5 kids will be Groomed then SOLICITED online for sexual images or videos before age 13!

A. Create false profiles as kids on social media and gaming platforms. They will then become friends with the kids and compliment them on their Tik Tok videos and game-play. They will tell them how great they are and suggest more things to do. Because most predators online are men who target young boys, they will create profiles as young girls. 

B. Predators use microphone voice changers to sound like kids and then befriend them. The goal is to start sexual talk and send/receive images and videos. Most Predators online are male. 

C. Kids using microphone voice changers to sound like a teenager, then the Predator contacts the kids to try and get images and or videos. 

D. Predators will be playing popular games like Fortnite in order to come across as “cool” to the kids. They will then friend them on the games which enables them to start sending private messages. 

E. Predators will tell the kids how good they are at the games and even offer to help them get better so they can get more stuff and thus be more popular. 

F. Online Predators using gaming platforms will have a phone number or email as their profile name. EX: call 555-555-1234 or fortnitemaster@gmail.com they will tell the kids via the microphone in game-play that if they contact them they will give them cheats and secrets and even free gaming money. This is an effort to get the kids phone number or email and eventually physical address. 

A. Once a Predator gets the child to engage in straight, homosexual or bisexual talk or get them to send pictures or videos of a sexual nature they will save the conversations and pics and videos and if the child tries to stop it the predator will threaten to send to the child's online or friends. Therefore, embarrassing them.

B. A Predator will gain the trust of the child by not asking for or talking about anything sexual at first. They will slowly work that into conversations in order to get the child’s hormones going and then will proceed with requests for images and or videos. Once received, they will threaten to post and share online. This makes the kids feel trapped into continuing to communicate.

C. A predator will first become social media or gaming friends with a bunch of the child’s friends. Then when the request comes in, it appears that this person is safe. But again, profiles will be fake. 

D. Remember that all of the popular messaging and video apps have no age verification! So predators lie about their age and create profiles. Many kids lie about their age and simply sign up with an email address. That means there are adults easily contacting kids and kids can easily contact adults. 

A. As long as I don’t say my last name or address there is no way for the person to find me. Not true! Predators can easily track IP addresses, phone numbers and the origins of email addresses to learn the area a child is in. They also use the child’s social media to look for signs of the town they are in or school they attend. Your child should NEVER have a school shirt on, a local sports shirt or doing videos in front of a street name sign. 

B. If I get tricked into a sexual conversation or giving out my phone number or other information I will get in big trouble and be punished. Not true! Tell them that if they don’t tell you, then many worse things will happen and that they will not be in trouble for being tricked. 

C. Even though my parents don’t know this person I am playing with and talking to, it’s OK because they are really nice and never say or get me to do anything sexual. They are so cool! WRONG! Ask your kids why they think an adult wants to play games with and talk to kids that they don’t know in real life. This person may be just trying to gain their trust and personal information before they act.

1) Go over all this information with them! 

2) Make sure to use parental controls on their phones, tablets, iPad, game systems and home computers.

3) Be nosy! No matter how much they fight it, you as a parent should have the password to their phones, game systems and apps. Randomly go through their phones. Check apps! Especially Tik Tok, Whisper, Likee and other messaging and video apps. Look at their messages and the videos they upload and like. 

4) Look into using special software that can be on their phones that will block adult content websites, pictures and videos. These will send reports to you of all activity. A few recommended good ones are “Bark” and “Covenant Eyes”  

1) If the Predator is trying to set up a time to meet the child, sent nude pictures or videos or even talked to them sexually and the Predator knows the child's age or it's apparent the child is young, REPORT THEM! Report them by clicking here or by calling (800) 843-5678. Also, report them to the Social Media Platform, Owner of the App and Owner of the game platform. This will save other children!  This includes online enticement of children for sexual acts, obscene material sent to a child, and child pornography. 

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