DIGITAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR PARENTS

• Reduces trauma experienced by children and families
• Offers a child-friendly atmosphere, a safe and comfortable place to talk about abuse
• Eliminates need for multiple interviews
• Provides support for the victims of abuse and their families
• Allows for child centered caseworker
• Multidisciplinary team works together for good of child

WHAT IS A 'CAC'?

FORENSIC INTERVIEWS

• Forensic Interviews (bilingual in Spanish and Portuguese, male upon request)
• Family Advocates
• Pedi-Sane Nurse
• NEADS Assistance Dog

• Specialized mental health treatment- using evidence based trauma modalities
• Problematic Sexual Behavior Treatment
• Currently, not accepting referrals for kiddos under 5
• SMART rooms
• Art therapy rooms
• Caregiver groups
• Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY)

HARP

HEALING AND RESILIENCY PROGRAM

• 8+ community based trainings for professionals, parents, and youth
• Digital Responsibility, CSEC 101, Caregiver Prevention, Understanding Trauma, etc.
• Resource/tabling events throughout the county
• Host national experts to provide training and assemblies
• Mental health capacity building throughout the county
• Youth voice engagement

EDUCATION & OUTREACH PREVENTION

POPULATION SERVED

• Children suspected of having been abused, particularly sexually abused
• Victims of severe physical abuse and witness to violence
• broken bones, burns, bruises that require medical attention, shaken baby etc.
• domestic violence, homicide, sexual assault
• Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
• (CSEC/Child Trafficking)
• Cyber crimes
• Victim or witness to child enticement
• DPPC – disabled persons protection commission.
• Drug endangered children- children affected by substance use disorders in the home.

National Statistics

• 1 in 10 children will be the victim of sexual abuse before the age 18.
• Nationally, CACs investigate nearly 250,000 cases involving sexual abuse allegations annually.
• 1 in 4 teens will receive or disseminate sexually explicit images.
• In the digital age, children are first exposed to pornography before their 10th birthday.
• 85% of child sexual exploitation is internet based

THE FACTS

Agency Statistics

• Averaging about 700 referrals annually
• Over 202 CSEC cases in FY’24 (includes sexting cases)
• Nearly 3,000 client sessions through the Healing & Resiliency Program in FY’24
• Over 123,000 community members impacted by Education & Prevention Program

THE DIGITAL AGE

TEENS & TECH

It is important to remember that MOST devices have the capacity to take photos/videos and have access to the internet.

• Computers/Laptops
• Chromebooks/ Tablets
• Cell Phones
• Gaming Devices
• Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo
• Smart TVs

• Connecting with family and friends
• Entertainment
• Assistance with school
• Access to information
• Research made easy
• Promoting fundraisers, activism, awareness
• Digital Literacy
• Networking
• Job/Education Opportunities
• Promotes creativity and entrepreneurship

PROS

CONS

• Exposed to inappropriate/upsetting/unsettling imagery
• Online Predators
• Connecting with strangers who pretend to be anyone
• Peer pressure
• Unrealistic body standards
• Unattainable wealth
• Cyberbullying/Hate Speech
• Information can spread widely in seconds
• Everything posted to the internet is PERMANENT

SOCIAL MEDIA IS PERVASIVE & VALUABLE

• Many of our youth started using social media at 7 years old
• Research shows the benefits of online activity in promoting adolescent well-being
• Social media gives youth agency over their own information

“[On social media] Youth can practice making safe decisions in the face of risk, which can build resilience, and youth can build connections that offer support.” (p. 7)

Sage et. al, 2020; Pew 2022

APPS TO WATCH

• Anonymity
• Close Friends/Private Story
• 'For My Eyes Only'
• Snapmap
• Premium Subscriptions

• Used to connect with older adults, family members, etc.
• Facebook Marketplace

• Wider following
• More access to strangers
• Close friends
• 'Finsta'
• More comfortable with DM's

• Access to free pornographic images
• Wider friend reach
• Feel more comfortable sharing feelings/thoughts

• Anonymity
• Unrestricted sharing of videos and images
• Geolocations
• False sense of privacy
• Apps that claim images disappear

WHAT MAKES APPS DANGEROUS?

• Chatting with Strangers
• Exposure to adult content
• Money Exchange
• Apps that appear to be something they aren’t (Vault Apps)

LOCATION SETTINGS

• Automatically 'on' when download app
• Able to see friends and people who have 'snap maps' on
• Can select who you want to see your location
• Can select if they can see your location all the time or when on the app

LOCATION SETTINGS

• Post location on posts to timeline, stories and map
• Youth feel protected by ‘close friends’
• Advice we give to youth...
• Monitor who are your close friends
• Make broader locations
• Don’t post in real time

VIDEO GAMES

• 97% of teen males and 83% of teen girls play video games on some device
• 71% of American kids under the age of 18 play video games
• 83% of youth who play video games play online with another person (up from 77% in 2021, 65% in 2020)

Entertainment Software Association, 2022

• Discord has a privacy and safety page that is easily accessed and does not require a password
• The app has robots that are able to scan messages for swear words; however, that does not necessarily help with exploitation
• The app also makes it sound cool to have no messages screened at all. It is called “I live on the edge” and uses the phrase “Go straight to the dark side”
• The app also automatically allows everyone to add you as a friend unless the feature is turned off

DISCORD

MONEY TRANSFER

Sending money through applications online is fast, easy, and often free.

These applications were created to make sending or receiving payments more convenient for the user.

• Cash App
• Google Pay
• Venmo
• Pay Pal
• Apple Pay
• Facebook Messenger
• Snapchat

• These apps look and function just like any other app (like a calculator)
• These apps will have a passcode to access the hidden content
• * Hint: Any device shouldn’t have more than one calculator app on their device*
• Easily accessible and most are free
• Several terms are used for the apps: “vault apps”, “ghost apps”, “hidden apps” and even “photo vaults”
• If children aren't able to use social media at home, will disguise social media apps as 'vault apps' on school tablets, chromebooks

VAULT APPS

TECHNOLOGY & EXPLOITATION

• Other parents​
• Teachers - Principals - Coaches​
• Colleges and Universities​ (25% review social media content, 11% deny admission based on what they see)
• Employers​
• People they don’t like or don’t like them​
• Strangers​
• Online Predators

WHO IS LOOKING AT YOUR CHILD’S SOCIAL MEDIA?

ONLINE PREDATORS

• The FBI estimates there are up to 750,000 child predators online. ​
• Online predators may lure minors into doing things such as sexual acts or sending sexually explicit photos/messages.​

Raising children in the digital age can be one of the most daunting tasks, now we're faced with predators we can't even identify

• Online gaming, messaging, chat rooms, etc. could create the opportunity for an online predator to connect with children. ​(They are everywhere children are)
• Huge increase in sextortion cases on video games
• Remind your children that when using the internet REMEMBER… people aren’t always who they say they are.
• Remind your children of what is appropriate to share online

The process by which an offender draws a victim into a sexual relationship and maintains that relationship in secrecy. It is a gradual, calculated process that ultimately results in the victim being coerced into participating in the abuse.

GROOMING

• Flattering comments
• Giving gifts
• Slowly breaking boundaries by discussing sexual topics, telling sexual jokes or playing sexual “games”.
• Asking the victim to keep secrets, such as not telling anyone about the relationship.
• Turning the victim against their own family and friends – Offenders want the victim to depend on them.
• Sharing or ask for revealing/sexual images.
• Blackmail
• Providing drugs or alcohol

Targeting children who they deem as vulnerable

​

ACCESS

Gifts, money, compliments – make you feel good

​

ATTENTION

Gaining trust through conversations, being reliable, providing needs

TRUST

Telling you no one understands like them, makes you keep secrets

​

ISOLATION

Sexual conversations, touching, pictures

​

BREAKING BOUNDARIES

Blackmailing, threatening to tell, get in trouble, hurt family

​

CONTROL

GROOMING

A COMMON EXPERIENCE

of teens believe online

grooming is a common

experience of kids their

age

of teens interact online with someone they believe is 30 or older

​

1 in 7 teens have told an online contact something they’ve never told anyone else

​

• Can begin on video games, social media OR dating apps
• Exchange of video game currency
• Ask to speak privately on social media app (DM)
• Build trust then asks for photos, video, video chat
• Screen-record video chats
• Threaten to share

ONLINE SOLICITATION

TIK TOK & EXPLOITATION

• A Wall Street Journal investigation has found TikTok's powerful algorithm can drive young users toward content featuring sex and drug use
• 13-year-old profile that searched ‘OnlyFans’ got swamped with sexual content, marked adults only
• Similarly for drug-related content.
• TikTok user age in profile normalizes this content for kids

SEXTORTION

• Sextortion is a form of child sexual exploitation where children are threatened or blackmailed, most often with the possibility of sharing with the public a nude or sexual images of them, by a person who demands additional sexual content, sexual activity or money from the minor.
• 1 in 4 victims of sextortion were 13 or younger when threatened (Thorn, 2017)
• 47% of victims receive threats daily (Thorn, 2017)

• In 2022, there were over 7,000 reports related to the online financial sextortion of minors, primarily boys
• more than a dozen suicides in the U.S.
• Currently, as many as 79% of predators seek money rather than additional sexual imagery (NCMEC)
• Predator threatens child, by claiming they already have a revealing picture/video that will be shared if the victim does not send more images and/or money

FINANCIAL SEXTORTION

• Value can be held in money exchanges, video game currency, etc.
• Predators typically release the child’s sexually explicit materials regardless of whether they receive payment or not
• A large percentage of these sextortion schemes originate outside of the US

• Encourage your kids to set their apps/sites/accounts to private
• Tell kids to edit photos and videos before posting to remove identifying info
• Monitor what your kids post
• Tell kids to only add people they know personally
• Remember everything shared to the internet is PUBLIC & PERMANENT
• Encourage kids to think about what they’re making public
• Keep close eye on your kid’s friends & ‘Close Friends’ lists
• Tell you about any sexual/obscene content​
• Teach kids how to block and/or report people

DO’S

DONT’S

• Use a nickname/screen name that identifies your location, gender, or age.​
• Share private information
• It is not safe to share: ​
• Password​, address, location, phone number, email
• Post plans or whereabouts (geotag, location settings) ​
• Meet in person with anyone they first met online
• Respond to sexual material/requests.​
• Post sexually provocative photos.​
• Send a photo (even an innocent photo) to someone you don’t know. GPS locations are embedded in photos
• Anything you encourage your child not to do, you shouldn’t be doing either

PEER TO PEER SEXTING

SELF GENERATED IMAGES

2019

• 38,400 reports

2020

• 68, 000 reports

​

• Over 60,000 reports in 2022 relating to child generated imagery of children 7-10 years old who had been groomed, coerced, or forced by online predator

77% INCREASE

SEXTING

• Sending a sexually explicit verbal message, photo, or video to one or more people.
• Sexting is one of the most rapidly growing trends amongst the pre-teen, teen and young adults population.
• On average, 1 in 6 minors report sending sexts (Thorn, 2022)
• 1 in 7 minors ages 9 yrs old - 12 yrs old
• 1 in 5 minors ages 13 yrs old - 17 yrs old
• Once teens take these images and send them, they have no control over where it ends up
• 55% of teens will shared nude/partially nude images sent to them
• Could end up on social media
• Could end up on pornography sites and exchanged between predators

Sending or receiving sexually explicit pictures of a person under the age of 18 is dissemination of child pornography, even if the pictures are of yourself

• Mandated Reporters required to file a 51A
• Will be screened out through DCF but sent to the DA's office

LEGAL CONSEQUENCES

• Older youth gets confused about the legal ramification especially since the age of consent in Massachusetts is younger
• Age of consent for touching - 14 yrs old
• Age of consent - 16 yrs old
• Age of consent for photos - 18 yrs old
• But, it is illegal to take them, share them and/or possess them

In possession of child pornography, even if it’s you

POSSESSION

Disseminiation of child pornography, even if it’s your partner, friend, stranger - even if you’ve had sexual activity

DISSEMINATION

Just as much of a penalty as the person posing & the original person it was sent to

FORWARDING

Ranging from $1,000 to $50,000

FINES

Court mandated programs for offenders

PROGRAMS

Felony charge, up to 5 years in prison, can be charged as an adult

CHARGES

LEGAL CONSEQUENCES

TEENS ATTITUDES ON SEXTING

• Majority of teens believe it's normal to share peer's photos
• 1 in 5 teens (age 13-17 yrs old) report seeing shared images of peer's nude/partially nude photo
• Teens don't perceive consequences of viewing or forwarding peer's images
• Aren't aware of legal implications
• Look at it as a joke between their friends
• Will share in group chats on social media apps
• Only 12% of teens fear they will get in trouble with school if caught forwarding peer's photos, 8% of teens fear getting in trouble with the police

"I had a video of me re-shared and I didn’t like it, but I shouldn’t have done it in the first place. I was made fun of for two school years. I learned my lesson and never shared a nude video again" (Male, 17)

“If I were to ever have a photo of mine leaked I don’t think I'd be that worried as a male but I believe if it were a friend of mine who was a female I would consider taking action" (Male, 16)

• Scare tactics
• Overstated statistics
• Stereotypes
• Dismissive perspectives
• Negative view on sites/don’t allow them to go online

WHAT MESSAGES DON’T WORK

• Positive social norms
• Look at the good uses of technology
• Positive culture/climate
• Accurate & timely information
• Skill based & interactive

WHAT MESSAGES DO WORK

CAC DIGITAL RESPONSIBILITY TRAINING OBJECTIVES

• Safety concerns of most popular apps
• Safety concerns of gaming/streaming platforms
• What is appropriate to post on social media in terms of safety precautions
• Danger of location settings
• Awareness of online predators
• Sexting Laws
• Intent vs. Impact
• Getting Support

• Establish expectations for online behavior​
• Discuss appropriate vs. inappropriate posts​
• Talk about appropriate usernames​
• Review comments and pictures​
• Talk about what their friends are posting​
• Establish rules about what they can share​
• Learn about reporting options​
• Help youth set privacy settings​
• Help youth create strong passwords​
• Talk about friends lists​
• Talk to children about healthy relationships​
• Set a policy about meeting offline for older teens​
• Teach warning signs of inappropriate online behavior ​
• Call the police

PROMOTE SAFE CHOICES ONLINE

QUESTIONS?

Children's Advocacy Center

www.cacofbc.org

www.missingkids.org/netsmartz

RESOURCES

Parent Control Apps

www.safewise.com

www.connectsafely.org

Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance

www.mass.gov

THORN

www.thorn.org/parents

Take It Down

takeitdown.ncmec.org

RESOURCES

www.icactaskforce.org

App & Social Media Info

www.commonsensemedia.org/

Richard Guerry

www.iroc2.org

www.themamabeareffect.org

beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/families

THANK YOU!

CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER OF BRISTOL COUNTY

58 Arch St, Fall River MA 02724

Phone : 508-674-6111

Website : www.cacofbc.org

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