According to the International Labor Organization, there are an estimated 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally, with 25% of those victims being children.[1] All youth are vulnerable to human trafficking. However, youth that are in foster care, identify as LGBTQ+, have run away, and are from abusive households are at the highest risk.[2] With online recruitment on the rise, grooming can take place right under our noses. This GKIS article covers what you need to know about human trafficking to keep your family safe from online predators.
Human Trafficking and Grooming
Human trafficking is “the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud, or deception, with the aim of exploiting them.”[3] Often traffickers groom their victims online for days and even months before asking to meet in real life. Grooming is the act of building a relationship and trust, with the intent to manipulate and exploit the other person.[4]
As devices become more accessible to younger generations, their chances of encountering an online predator increases as well. With this in mind, we must take proper precautions when granting children screen-time. Let us help you with our free Connected Family Screen Agreement, a step-by-step digital contract that will help you clarify expectations, implement an expert action plan, and create a connection for safety and resilience. You can find the opt-in box in the right-hand corner of the GetKidsInternetSafe home page.
Recent Findings
According to the U.S National Human Trafficking Hotline, the number of trafficking crisis cases increased by more than 40% following shelter-in-place orders.[5]Crisis cases are defined as cases that require assistance with transportation, shelter, and law enforcement involvement within twenty-four hours of the report. Because of stay-at-home orders and mandated quarantines, the captivity of victims is being reinforced. The pandemic has also cut off economic opportunities, leaving people to become vulnerable to exploitation in exchange for basic needs.
A 2019 data report from the Polaris Project found that the three most common trafficking situations include sex trafficking (escort services, illicit massage businesses, pornography), labor trafficking (domestic work, agriculture, traveling sales crews), and a combination of the two.[6] In addition, this report indicated the average age of victims of sex trafficking as seventeen and labor trafficking as twenty-two.
In a 2016 survey conducted by Thorn, 260 survivors of domestic minor sex trafficking reported that technology is increasingly being used as a means of making contact for recruitment. 55% of those survivors reported meeting their trafficker via text, websites, and apps.[7] Further, findings show that traffickers weaponize virtual communication to contact and groom multiple victims at a time.
Grooming Tactics and Testimony
Online recruitment comes in different forms, including boyfriending through dating apps, fake job listings, and online marketplaces.[8]Boyfriending is defined as feigned romantic interests in order to form a trusting relationship with the victim. Trafficking recruiters use this tactic to lure their victims with intimacy, security, and sweet nothings.
Rebecca Bender shared her experience with boyfriending and human trafficking in her 2020 YouTube video with Anthony Padilla. A single mother at 18, all she wanted was to get herself and her daughter to a better place. She met a man online that promised her security. After six months of dating, she took a leap of faith to be with him.
One night when they went out, the man turned the car around to a strip of buildings without lights. He told her that she needed to pay him back (for moving expenses to Las Vegas), by participating in escort services. He used fear and physical abuse to get Rebecca to comply. Little did she know that she would become enslaved for the next six years with three different traffickers.
Since her escape, she has become an advocate in the fight against human trafficking. She offers the advice, “If anyone is forcing you to do something you are not comfortable with, it doesn’t just have to feel like this big, giant word of human trafficking.”[9] She elaborated that secretive jobs, frequent traveling, and hypersexuality (beyond your boundaries) within a relationship could be signs of exploitation. If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, the National Human Trafficking Hotline is fully operational at 1-888-373-7888.
Psychological Manipulation
According to Psychology Today, three psychological staples behind grooming include instilling fear, manipulation, and coercion.[10]
Fear
Fear, aggression, and anger are emotions that trigger the amygdala within our brains.[11] The amygdala is like our smoke detector, in that it helps us determine how to respond to a threat.
Because the amygdala develops before our prefrontal cortex (our calm reasoning center), teens often make decisions based on an emotional response rather than experience-informed logical reasoning.
Predators are adept at identifying vulnerable targets who demonstrate immaturity, blind obedience, or those who have a social and economic vulnerability (e.g. youth living in unstable households, living in poverty, or participating in early drug/alcohol use).[12]
Manipulation and Coercion
Coercion and manipulation in the context of human trafficking typically come in the form of ultimatums and threats to maintain control over their victims. Because kids do not have the cognitive development or experience to reason through complex situations, they often fall back on obeying authority when faced with conflict. Predators exploit this vulnerability to reinforce control.
Everyday Real-Time Accessibility
According to a report from January 2015 to December 2017, data from the Polaris Project shows that common internet platforms used for recruitment include Facebook, dating sites, Instagram, and websites like Craigslist and online chatrooms.[13] Increasing, child screen access offers accessibility and opportunity.
Earlier this year, a video of a 37-year-old mother going undercover as an 11-year-old girl on social media went viral.[14] Within hours of creating the Instagram account and being clear that she was underage, an influx of explicit messages from strangers flooded the inbox. From there, the undercover team arranged to meet the predator and he was arrested. Videos like this one demonstrate that kids can be easy targets online. For more information on accessibility and sensible tips, check out Dr. Bennett’s GKIS article on sex trafficking.
Oversharing on Social Media
Victims are often identified as targets based on their willingness to overshare online. Different platforms provide opportunities for oversharing, including locations identified with geotagged photos, the Snap Map on Snapchat, and the Check-In feature on Facebook. Some platforms even require your location on your phone to be turned on to gain access to specific filters. To learn more about the dangers of these location features, check out this GKIS article about oversharing.
Online Gaming
Kids can also be readily groomed by predators on gaming platforms. A relative of mine told a story of how she received a message when she was fifteen years old from another gamer she met in the game’s online public lobby. He sent her a message asking for pictures, demographic details, and her home address (even after clarifying that she was only fifteen). He told her, “It’s okay that you’re fifteen, I’m eighteen, it doesn’t matter.” After being denied, he confessed he was twenty-two years old.
With the help of information and insight she’d gained from open, informative family conversations, she knew that his behavior was dangerous. She instantly blocked him and has not heard from him since. What might have happened if her parents hadn’t been proactive in offering education and support?
Among Us is a game that is currently popular among youth. I recently investigated this game for risk. Sure enough, in the public lobby of the game, it was common to see minors exchanging ages and Snapchat handles. I have even seen children as young as nine playing this game (one being my cousin), and streamers as old as thirty playing as well.
Although your message may be directed towards one person in that online lobby, the chat feature is open for 5+ other strangers to see. There is an option to censor the chat for inappropriate comments, but the unmoderated chat cannot be turned off completely. The game does provide the opportunity to play in a private lobby that requires a code. If your child plays this game, I suggest this option for friends and family. For more information about the dangers of games containing chat features, check out this GKIS article about the dangers of online multiplayer games.
Social Media Readiness Course
With all of this in mind, our children must understand the bigger picture of screen safety and online accounts. It is our responsibility as parents to do everything in our power to protect our children, but you don’t have to do it alone. GKIS offers our Social Media Readiness Course. Tailored for kids, our Social Media Readiness Course helps tweens & teens get educated about the risks of digital injury as well as Dr. B’s tested psychological wellness techniques. Using modules and mastery quizzes, this online course offers expertise to parents and kids, so they can maintain a healthy alliance against digital injuries and online predators.
Thanks to CSUCI intern Kaylen Sanchez for researching the digital age of human trafficking for this GKIS article.
I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.
[9] Padilla, A. [AnthonyPadilla]. (2020, Nov 10). I spent a day with HUMAN TRAFFICKING SURVIVORS. [Video File]. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/KGE_CUj0f1s
Thanks to CSUCI intern Kaylen Sanchez for researching the digital age of human trafficking for this GKIS article.
