Online child sexual exploitation lurks even in seemingly innocent corners of the internet as one boy, Liam, tragically discovered.
“Video gaming has always been one of my favorite hobbies. After school, on weekends and anytime I had a free moment, I’d be online,” Liam explained in a post by A21, a non-profit that exists to “abolish slavery everywhere, forever.”
“It was normal for me to jump into games and connect with strangers from all over the world,” he admitted. “I’ll never forget the day I met ‘Charlie.'”
“We quickly hit it off. Day after day, we’d spend hours playing together. Over time, we started talking outside of the game. She was older than me, but I actually found her easier to talk to than girls my age,” Liam continued. “One day out of nowhere, she sent me sensual photos of herself. There was no denying she was beautiful. Then she asked me to send something in return.”
He began to feel “uneasy” because it was something he “had never done before,” but he decided to send her the photos anyway.
“The moment I hit send, I felt a deep sinking feeling in my stomach. I knew I had something I would regret,” Liam confessed. “From that point on, everything changed. She kept pressuring me for more photos and videos. When I said I didn’t want to, her tone shifted. She became aggressive, nothing like the person I thought I knew.”
Related: How to Protect Your Child From Sexual Exploitation
Liam tried to ignore “Charlie’s” messages, but when he did that, “Charlie” began to message all of Liam’s friends all of the things that he sent to her.
“She threatened that if I didn’t give her more, ‘things would only get worse,'” he recalled.
He was just 16 years old at the time, and when his classmates got the photos he sent, he didn’t know what to do, who to trust or how to ask for help.
“In that moment, something in me shifted. I knew I had to speak up. I gathered every bit of courage I had and told a teacher everything. I thought that sharing my story would make me feel worse, but instead, I was met with kindness and compassion,” Liam shared.
Tragically, Liam’s story is far from an isolated incident. According to the Department of Homeland Security, “Reports of online CSEA [online child sexual exploitation and abuse] have increased exponentially to 32 million from 16.9 million in just the past three years.”
The Crimes Against Children Foundation reported that one in five teens has experienced sextortion, “a form of online blackmail where a predator threatens to share intimate images of a victim unless their demands are met.” And 90% of financial sextortion victims are teen boys, ages 14-17.
If your child experiences online child sexual exploitation or sextortion, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) advised parents to “Support your child without blaming them.”
“Engaging in a peaceful and honest conversation is a helpful approach for you and your child to understand what’s happening in a supportive manner,” the group emphasized. “Although these kinds of discussions can be overwhelming, it’s important to let your child know that you’re asking questions because you care about their well-being and want to help.”
The IWF encouraged parents to “Reassure your child that your intention is not to punish them.”
It’s estimated that Liam’s story is just one of over 300 million instances of child online exploitation that happen every year. His story serves as both a warning to youth online and a powerful reminder that asking for help is a sign of strength, not shame.
Read Next: This Anti-Trafficking Group Fights Online Child Sexual Exploitation, One Story at a Time
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