Protecting kids from 'sextortion'

SANDUSKY — A newly enacted state law will require that children under 16 obtain parental consent to join certain online platforms. And area law enforcement officials hope it will help prevent children from being sexually exploited online. Back in July, Ohio legislators approved what's known as the Parental Notification by Social Media Operators Act. The legislation was originally set to go into effect on Monday. But the law has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge following a lawsuit filed by a trade group representing social media and tech companies, according to the Associated Press. "Ohio lawmakers had good intentions, being concerned about the mental health and well-being of young people," a release from the trade group, NetChoice, which represents the companies behind TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and others, states. "But unfortunately, they chose a path that violates constitutional rights and rips away a parent's authority to care for their child as they find appropriate — all while violating the safety and security of all Ohioans, especially kids and teens." Online sextortion Officials said a danger for children on social media and other online platforms is that they could become victims of a crime known as sextortion. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children defines sextortion as a form of sexual exploitation where the perpetrators use coercion and threats to compel the victim to produce sexual images or videos engaging in sexual acts. Sextortion can happen at the hands of both peers and unknown, online offenders. It's a crime that's been reported to the nationwide agency nearly 8,000 times between 2019 and 2021. And there was a notable case of sextortion in the northern Ohio region recently. In 2022, James Woods, 17, a senior at the Cleveland-area Streetsboro High School, died by suicide after he was a victim of sextortion. Since Woods' death, his parents, Tamia and Tim Woods, have urged others to become aware of the crime. "Talk to your parents about it because they can help you get through it," Tamia Woods told WEWS-TV Cleveland's Channel 5 News. "We need you to understand that we are all human and it's okay." Data collected from 2020 found that 60% of the time, the blackmailer is known to the victim and can often be a current or former romantic partner, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Does it happen here? Sextortion claims have been investigated in Erie County with both children and adults. Erie County Sheriff's Office detective Sgt. Alexis Harvey said that reports of these crimes have remained steady in the local area during the past five years. "Once we receive the report, either from the victim themselves or someone else, we advise both the parents and the child to cease all communication with the person and delete their child's accounts," Harvey said. In cases investigated by the sheriff's office, suspects very rarely follow through on threats to send out the explicit photos if their demands aren't met, Harvey said. Harvey noted that the victim must stop all communication with the suspect. Local law enforcement officials said that children face dangers other than sextortion on social media as well. Harvey said that more must be done to protect children online. In terms of the legislation, she said that anything enhancing restrictions for young children or anyone under 16 will be a benefit. "Most social media companies already require age limits, but it's very easy for kids to lie about it," said Harvey, who, through her prior work as a school resource officer, educated parents on the potential risks to children on social media. Although restrictions can safeguard children and teens, Harvey said that to "truly get a handle" on this issue and protect children, parents must be actively involved in their children's social media activity before it's too late. Erie County Sheriff Paul Sigsworth said that if rules are not implemented and enforced early on, then it can cause the police to respond. "We have a large number of domestic violence calls every year that are related to a parent and a child, and the root cause of the problem is that they are fighting over the children's cell phone," Sigsworth said. At that point, Sigsworth said that the solution to the problem is not done by simply taking the phone away and grounding them. Kids can easily get their hands on another one in one way or another. "I always advise parents to have an open discussion with their children about the dangers of communicating with people on and off social media, including video games," Harvey said. "It's important, especially early on, to not only set rules regarding online use but to also be accepting of them having friends online, as they will be more likely to talk to you about these friends." Leading down a dark road Two local human trafficking prevention advocates, Dr. Lara Wilken, an assistant clinical professor of nursing at Bowling Green State University, and Tracy McGinley, the teaching professor and program adviser for Bowling Green's criminal justice department, said that sextortion and human trafficking are interconnected issues. "Threats and coercion are common tactics used in human trafficking. A perpetrator of sextortion may use the photos or videos as blackmail that may be used to facilitate human trafficking," Wilken said. Victims may find themselves coerced into situations where they become commodities for trafficking networks. It's important to remind victims of sexual exploitation that there is no shame in reporting and that by doing so, you can also help protect others. Both Wilken, McGinley, and law enforcement alike warn that there are a number of cases in which victims of sextortion die by suicide. "It's important that parents remain vigilant and look out for changes in their child's behavior such as depression, anxiety, secrecy, and isolation from friends and family," McGinley said. "Anyone can be a victim, but it is important to identify that children are our most vulnerable population. The FBI warns that sextortion cases involving minors are on the rise." The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children encourages both parents and children to report any instances of sexual exploitation to local law enforcement and email the center at gethelp@ncmec.org or call 1-800-THE-LOST. Recognizing the signs Parents and guardians of children should look out for signs that their child is possibly being exploited via social media. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children noted how adults should look for these signs in their children: • Withdrawal from family and friends • Drop in grades or a withdrawal from typical activities • Changed behaviors, like increased anxiety, fear or unexplained anger • Psychological, emotional or physical trauma • Ideations or actions of self-harm • Unexplained sense of urgency to "escape" to a different location to meet suspect's demands What precautions should parents take? For victims of sextortion and other social media-related crimes, an investigation into the matter can often be a long and grueling process. "After receiving a report, we then begin to conduct an investigation based on the evidence that we can receive from the case," Harvey said. This information often includes things such as the username, email address and photos that were sent during the conversation that may provide the suspect's identity. "We then begin sending legal subpoenas and different legal documents to these (social media) companies," Harvey said. "The information provided by whatever platform was used ultimately determines how far we can go with the investigation." Common social media apps like Snapchat often lead to no results as, after 24 hours, the pictures are typically deleted. As for overseas companies, Harvey said positive results are much more slim. "Most of these companies will comply if it is related to children and human trafficking. Occasionally, they are out of the country, and we don't have any legally viable way to investigate it any longer," Harvey said. Precaution and protection tips for parents from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: • Have open discussions about the dangers of the internet and communicating with people you don't know and people you think you know. • Warn against risky behaviors; Once an image, video, or comment is on the internet, it's there forever. • Regularly reinforce to kids that they are not at fault; They are victims and can always talk about their concerns or suspicious interactions. • Encourage your kids to talk to someone they trust: parents, teachers, coaches, or counselors. • Educate yourself on internet applications, websites and forums; If unsure, it's best to look it up to find information.