How to keep children safe from Human Trafficking on social media
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS 12) — Are you doing enough to keep your kids safe?
It’s tough for many parents to navigate the world of social media, a world many children are immersed in, but it’s full of land mines according to Human Trafficking experts. They recommend parents stay increasingly vigilant in the digital age.
Most of us go on social media to share information, or see what friends are up to, but others have a more sinister reason.
“Many of these predators will lure kids online and they’ll troll their social media looking for clues about vulnerability,” said President of the Human Trafficking coalition of the Palm Beaches, Tanya Meade. She says traffickers are looking for posts, about hating parents, wanting money or depression.
“To a trafficker or to a predator they’re like oh okay that’s that person’s vulnerability, you need a friend, I can be your friend,” said Meade.
Meade says it’s critical parents examine their children’s smart phones and computer looking for these red flags in their messages and posts.
“If you are paying for it, you should have access,” said Meade. Another place to look, who is your child friends with on Facebook, and who is following them on other apps. “Do you really have 600 friends,” said Meade.
Meade recommends parents use smartphone monitoring apps like TeenSafe, which allows parents to see their child’ texts, location and web history from their own phone.
She also says be aware of some kid’s ‘Finstagram’ accounts, which are sham social media profiles. Some ‘Finstagram’ accounts are created specifically to trick parents.
Meade encourages parents to keep the lines of conversation open with their children and check their phone at random times. “You’re not being invasive of their privacy, you’re their parent and it’s your job ultimately, to protect your kids,” said Meade.
If you are interested in exploring more human trafficking resources, we have selected the following for your interest.
http://www.missingkids.org/home
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/