It’s no secret that child predators seek victims wherever they can find them and, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), one current popular avenue is online gaming. The Pew Research Center notes that 97 percent of American teenage boys and about 83 percent of girls play video games, providing easy access to children. Through the contact they establish through the games, predators groom their victims and convince them to send sexually explicit images or videos.
According to the New York Times, “There are many ways for gamers to meet online. They can use built-in chat features on consoles like Xbox and services like Steam or connect on sites like Discord and Twitch. The games have become extremely social and developing relationships with strangers on them is normal.” The abuse may begin in the games themselves or the predators may move to platforms such as Facebook Messenger, Kik, and Skype, where they can communicate more privately.
Predators build relationships with their victims by sending gifts or gaming currency, such as V-Bucks in Fortnite. They begin desensitizing children to sexual terms and imagery with explicit texts and photos before asking them to send naked pictures and videos of their own. Gary Halpert of Savvy Cyber Kids says, “Parents aren’t telling their kids at 6 years old, ‘Keep your clothes on online.’ But they need to.”
The victims often believe they are communicating with another child and go along with the predator’s requests. Once the abuse has begun, the predator may threaten to harm the child or the child’s family if the child does not do as the predator demands. Ultimately, many victims are so traumatized that they commit or attempt suicide.
Bark, a service that monitors children’s online activity for signs of cyberbullying, abuse and other dangers, has a task force that seeks out online predators using modified images of an adult woman as bait. These are among the suggestions they offer for combatting online predators:
- Let your child know they can come to you for help. It isn’t easy for victims to talk about what they have experienced, but let your children know they can always come to you and you will love and support them. Also let them know about the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline. If they aren’t ready to speak with someone they know, they can call 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) to get help at any time.
- Learn how to report suspected child predators. If you suspect your child or another child is being targeted, contact the tip line of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
- Join a Facebook group for parents, such as Parenting in a Tech World.
