PROTECT YOUR KIDS

The threat has moved online. So should the conversation.

Predators reach children through the same phones, games, and apps kids use every day. These guides help parents and kids recognize the warning signs and know exactly what to do.

START HERE

5 rules every child should know online

  1. People online aren’t always who they say they are. A “teen” on a game or app may be an adult.

  2. Never send a photo you wouldn’t want everyone to see. Once it’s sent, you lose control of it.

  3. Keep personal details private. Your school, address, schedule, and location stay offline.

  4. Secrets are a warning sign. Anyone who asks you to keep your conversations secret from your parents is a red flag.

  5. You will never be in trouble for telling. If something feels wrong, tell a trusted adult right away.

Recognizing grooming

Grooming is how an offender builds trust with a child, and often with the family, to make abuse or exploitation easier. It rarely starts with an obvious threat. Watch for an adult or older teen who:

  • Gives a child unusual attention, compliments, or gifts, including game credits or money

  • Moves conversations to private messages or apps that delete chats

  • Asks the child to keep the relationship secret

  • Tries to come between the child and their parents or friends

  • Slowly introduces sexual jokes, questions, or images

Changes in a child can also be a sign: new secrecy about devices, a new “friend” they won’t talk about, gifts you can’t explain, or sudden anxiety about their phone.

SEXTORTION

What is sextortion?

Sextortion is when someone threatens to share a child’s private images unless the child sends more images, money, or gift cards. Offenders often pose as another teen, build trust quickly, and then turn threatening within hours. Many target teenage boys for money. It can happen to any child, and it is never the child’s fault.

What to do if someone threatens your child

  1. Stay calm and reassure your child. Tell them they are not in trouble and that you will handle this together.

  2. Do not pay or send anything. Paying almost never ends the threats.

  3. Save the evidence. Take screenshots of the profile, messages, and usernames before blocking.

  4. Block and report the account on the app or game where it happened.

  5. Report it to the NCMEC CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678, and to your local police. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.

  6. Get the images removed. NCMEC’s Take It Down service (takeitdown.ncmec.org) can help remove images of minors from participating platforms.

If your child is overwhelmed or talking about hurting themselves, call or text 988 any time.

EVERYDAY SAFETY

Gaming, chat, and social media

  • Know the apps and games. Ask your child to show you how they use them and who they talk to.

  • Use privacy settings. Set accounts to private, limit messages to known friends, and turn off location sharing.

  • Watch in-game chat and voice. Many contacts start in multiplayer games and move to other apps.

  • Keep devices in shared spaces at night, and talk about online life often, not just once.

  • Talk early and without blame. Kids who expect to be punished are less likely to tell you when something goes wrong.

How to report

  • Immediate danger: call 911

  • Online exploitation or sextortion: NCMEC CyberTipline, report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678

  • Trafficking: National Human Trafficking Hotline, 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733

  • Local support: Dodge & Olmsted Victim Services 24/7 crisis line, 507-289-0636

OUR CAMPAIGN

SCREENSHOT. BLOCK. TELL.

If someone threatens or pressures you online: screenshot the messages, block the account, and tell a trusted adult. Three steps every child in Minnesota should know by heart.

Want this presented at your school, church, or group? Request a training · See local resources