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Internet Safety for Parents: Guiding Children Through the Digital Age

Internet safety has become every parent's critical responsibility as kids navigate social media and online games with increasing exposure to exploitation and predators. Learn practical strategies to protect children while encouraging safe digital engagement.

Myth

My child is too smart to fall for this.

Fact

Grooming is not a trick that only works for naive or inattentive children. It is a deliberate, gradual process specifically designed to feel safe, caring, and normal — often resembling mentorship, friendship, or genuine affection. Intelligence does not protect against a relationship that is intentionally built to deceive. Any child seeking connection, validation, or belonging can be targeted.

Myth

Grooming only happens on social media.

Fact

Grooming is behavior-based, not platform-based. It can occur anywhere a young person communicates or builds relationships — in gaming environments, messaging apps, online communities, sports teams, faith organizations, schools, or neighborhoods. Limiting access to one platform does not eliminate risk if the underlying behaviors and vulnerabilities go unaddressed.

Myth

My child does not have a smartphone, so they're safe.

Fact

Grooming can occur through any device with communication capability — a gaming console, a shared family tablet, a school-issued laptop, or a friend's phone. Younger children are not exempt. Groomers target children across ages, and access to a personal smartphone is not a prerequisite.

Get ‘Start Talking: A Guide to Keeping Children Safe Online’

Parents spend only 46 minutes in their child's entire life discussing online safety (Kaspersky, 2019). Yet 1 in 3 children will have an unwelcome sexual experience online before 18 (Parents Together, 2023), and 54% of minors believe grooming is common for their age (Thorn, 2022).

Our "Start Talking" guide gives you everything needed to protect your family. Learn to recognize grooming tactics and fake profiles, get age-appropriate conversation starters that build trust, and discover hidden risks in popular apps. You'll identify predators before they strike and manage your child's digital footprint.

Don't wait until something happens. The conversations you have today could prevent a lifetime of trauma tomorrow.

Online Exploitation Articles & Resources

Explore expert articles, educational guides, and actionable resources designed to help you better understand online exploitation, recognize emerging digital threats, and learn practical strategies for prevention, protection, and safer online engagement.

14 min read • Child Exploitation • Homepage Featured • Online Exploitation • Prevention & Awareness

Grooming: How Communities and Families Can Prevent, Recognize, and Reduce Harm

By Amy Bruins, Vice President of Community Impact at Our Rescue Grooming rarely announces itself. It often begins quietly—with attention, encouragement, shared interests, or support—long before boundaries are crossed or risks are recognized.   Because grooming is a deliberate, relationship-based process rather than a single event, it can unfold anywhere children and young people communicate or…
14 min read • Child Exploitation • Homepage Featured • Online Exploitation

To Trust or Not to Trust: Online Safety Begins Offline Child Exploitation Spikes in Summer: Learn How to Protect Kids During Peak Online Activity 

By the end of this article, you will understand what online child sexual exploitation is, how it happens, how to recognize the warning signs, what to do if you suspect it, and – most of all – how to prevent it in the first place.   For many kids, summer marks the start of freedom: less structure, more time with friends, and greater independence…
11 min read • Child Exploitation • Homepage Featured • Online Exploitation

When it Happens to You: Avenues for Support if Your Child is a Victim of Online Sexual Exploitation 

By Jackie Block Goldstein, LSW, Vice President for Survivor Care at Our Rescue, and John Trenary Vice President of Cyber at Our Rescue  Disclaimer: This content is provided for educational purposes only.  If you believe a child is in immediate danger, contact 9-1-1 or your local authorities.  Raising kids in today’s digital environment is no easy feat.  In addition…
11 min read • Child Exploitation • Homepage Featured • Online Exploitation

Social Media Addiction and Online Exploitation: How Today’s Digital Environment Is Increasing Risk for Kids 

By Jackie Block Goldstein, LSW, Vice President for Survivor Care at Our Rescue, and John Trenary Vice President of Cyber at Our Rescue  In early 2026, separate juries in California and New Mexico found two popular social media companies liable for contributing to the mental health crisis among children. The landmark verdicts confirmed what many families…
4 min read • Online Exploitation

Internet Safety Tips You Need to Know to Protect Your Family in 2025

Protecting Children in the Digital Age  Every child deserves to grow up free from exploitation and harm—both offline and online. At Our Rescue, we’re committed to creating a world where children can safely navigate digital spaces without falling prey to those who would exploit them. The fight against trafficking and…
9 min read • Homepage Featured • Online Exploitation

The Disturbing Psychology of Online Predators: What Every Parent Must Understand

When most parents picture online predators, they imagine shadowy figures lurking in chat rooms, deceiving children about their age and identity. This perception, while understandable, is dangerously inaccurate. The reality is far more sophisticated and psychologically complex than the “stranger danger” narrative suggests. Understanding the true psychology behind online predators…
3 min read • Child Exploitation • Online Exploitation • Our Perspectives • Sextortion

 Children at Risk: A Sharp Rise in 2025 Reports of Online Exploitation 

The online world your children explore every day is not a playground, it’s a landscape of evolving threats. Just six months into 2025, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) released data showing a significant increase in reports related to online enticement, financial sextortion, AI-enabled exploitation, and child sex trafficking.  Importantly, NCMEC has noted…
5 min read • Child Exploitation • CSAM • Online Exploitation • Our Perspectives

An Audacious Goal: The Future of Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces

If there’s one thing I’ve witnessed over the years during my work for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and now at my current role as CEO of Our Rescue, it’s the realization that the people who dedicate their lives to fighting child sexual exploitation are real life heroes.  Among…
10 min read • Child Exploitation • Online Exploitation

How Online Grooming Fuels the Growing Digital Child Exploitation Crisis

The digital age has transformed childhood, bringing unprecedented opportunities for learning, creativity, and connection. However, this same technology has created new pathways for predators to exploit vulnerable children. Online grooming has emerged as an easy gateway for child sexual exploitation, with devastating consequences that extend far beyond the digital realm.
7 min read • Child Exploitation • CSAM • Online Exploitation • Sextortion

A Decade-Long Partnership Takes on Child Exploitation’s Darkest New Threats

When Our Rescue CEO Derek Benner sat down with Mike Prado, Deputy Assistant Director of Homeland Security Investigations’ Cyber Crimes Center, or C3, their conversation marked more than a reunion. The two have been allies in the fight against child exploitation for more than a decade, first as colleagues at…
7 min read • Child Exploitation • Online Exploitation

Artificial Intelligence on the Frontlines of Child Exploitation

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant concept or a futuristic tool reserved for tech labs and movies. It’s here, embedded in everyday life, accelerating innovation across industries, and reshaping how people learn, work, and connect. And, like many transformative technologies before it, AI is neither inherently good nor…
4 min read • Child Exploitation • Online Exploitation • Our Perspectives

With Just One Picture: How AI Has Changed Child Exploitation 

In a recent Guardian interview, actress Mara Wilson, beloved for her work as a child actress in movies such as “Matilda,” and “Mrs. Doubtfire,” shared a modern horror story. She discovered that her likeness when she was a child had been used to create AI-generated child sexual abuse material (AIG-CSAM). Her story…
2 min read • Human Trafficking • Online Exploitation

The Digital White Van: Protecting Kids in a Connected World 

This January 11, for National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, Our Rescue hosted a free webinar titled “The Digital White Van,” with experts from DHS’s Blue Campaign, Know2Protect, Yahoo Security Engineers, SEARCH and Our Rescue, including a survivor of sex trafficking. January 11th reminds…
5 min read • Child Exploitation • Online Exploitation • Our Perspectives

6-7 is Silly, 764 is Deadly: The Rise of Decentralized Online Exploitation Terrorism 

When we think about terrorism, we picture threats aimed at political ideologies or mass casualty attacks. But a new extremist threat is emerging, and it is aimed at our children with the intent to exploit.  This threat is a group called 764, a decentralized terrorist child exploitation network that U.S. law enforcement has described as a highest-priority terrorism threat. Unlike other terrorist networks, 764 does not target…
7 min read • Child Exploitation • CSAM • Online Exploitation • Statistics & Research

A Thousand-to-One: The Delta Between Funding and the Fight to Protect Children

A single detective sits before a sea of computer screens and media servers, surrounded by stacks of case files and hard drives, all while chipping away at a backlog that will take months—if not years—to clear. Each drive holds horrific digital evidence of child exploitation. The thousands of files represent…
2 min read • Child Exploitation • CSAM • Field Operations • Mission Stories • Online Exploitation • U.S./Canada

Speeding Up Justice: How Digital Forensics Is Helping Law Enforcement Combat Human Trafficking 

“For me, everything is timing,” said Agent Laurel Sexton of the Central Arkansas Drug Task Force.  For investigators working sex trafficking and child exploitation cases, every second is critical, especially when children are waiting to be found and offenders are walking free. The reality is that many cases hinge on…
6 min read • Child Exploitation • CSAM • Online Exploitation • Sextortion

How Sexual Predators Are Using Technology to Reach Children | Featuring Mike Prado 

The fight against online child sexual exploitation is evolving rapidly. Derek Benner, CEO of Our Rescue, sat down with Mike Prado, leader of the DHS Cyber Crimes Center (C3), to discuss technology, law enforcement, and prevention strategies.  Derek Benner: Mike, you’re in your role, you’re not only looking ahead down…
8 min read • Online Exploitation

Why Age-Appropriate Online Safety Conversations Matter 

In today’s digital world, kids are online earlier and more often than ever before. A recent report from Common Sense Media found that by age 4, more than half of children have their own tablet, and nearly one in four have their…
Little Kid Using Smartphone
3 min read • Online Exploitation

11 Online Apps: Know the Dangers for Kids  

In today’s world, most teens and children are always looking at a screen—particularly online apps, games, or video-sharing platforms. But just because an app or platform is marketed to kids, it doesn’t mean it’s safe. Parents and guardians need to research apps, looking at factors such as: Data collection: Companies…

Online dangers are everywhere, but you can help protect children from anywhere

You can help us continue to educate communities and offer vital resources on critical issues like online exploitation, sextortion, and digital predators. Join forces with individuals across the nation who are standing up to create safer digital spaces for our children. Donate now to help law enforcement and advocacy groups fight against online threats and protect kids in the digital world today.

Introducing Our Shield™: An Online Safety Superpower for Caregivers and Kids

Every minute your child spends online without proper defense puts them at risk. Online predators are actively targeting children through social networks and apps, exploiting their innocence and curiosity. The online threats are real, they're growing, and they're happening to families just like yours—right now. Don't wait until something happens to your child. Discover our complete "Our Shield™ Platform" — a stage-based safety guide that grows with your child from birth through adolescence. Learn the Our Shield™. framework that empowers parents with practical tools, age-appropriate conversations, and proven strategies to keep children safe online while building their digital confidence and protecting their private information. The digital world won't wait for you to catch up. Your child's safety can't wait either.
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Join the Safe Game Program: Turn Your Gaming Passion Into Child Protection

Gamers unite! Turn your passion into a weapon against online predators. Predators are infiltrating games to exploit children and teens, turning what should be safe spaces into hunting grounds. But you can fight back. The Safe Game initiative is a community of gamers who refuse to let predators win. We're turning gaming sessions into fundraising powerhouses, transforming your hobby into hope for survivors and protection for children.

Join the Safe Game community and discover how easy it is to make a difference while doing what you love. In 2024 alone, we supported 1,969 arrests of suspected predators worldwide. Your gaming community could save even more.

Ready to Level Up Your Impact?
Don't let predators control the narrative. Take back the gaming world and Join the Fight™.
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