The Era of Digital Danger: How to Ask Children about Social Media Use in Online Exploitation Cases

Children and teenagers devote a significant portion of their time to online activity and remain in near-constant contact with others via digital communication. According to a survey of teenagers conducted by the Pew Research Center, most of the surveyed adolescents make use of at least one social media platform, a third of those reporting virtually nonstop use of one or more sites such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat (Faverio & Sidoti, 2024).

Social media platforms are popular among predators as well. These platforms have been identified as a prime location for targeting and connecting with youth. Even chat features in online games like Roblox can serve as a hunting ground for adults seeking to exploit or harm youth. Predators can develop fake identities with fake pictures, names, and ages, and use profiles that appear innocuous in order to establish relationships with kids and teens. Via social media, predators can communicate with potential victims while benefiting from minimal oversight and implicit anonymity. Grooming, manipulation, and the potential of physical harm are trademarks of these online relationships that predators are able to develop with children.

Until social media platforms can develop reliable security measures, it is vital that professionals develop dependable methods of asking children about their interactions and experiences online. First, however, investigators, interviewers, and concerned community members must make every effort to understand the prevalence of digital activity and the relevant functions of each website. For example, many TikTok features can be either public or private. Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat users create a username and a profile name. In an interview scenario, asking about both the username and profile name could be integral to an investigation. “Suggested Friends” features on each of these social media platforms suggest other individuals the user may know, which can falsely indicate a sense of safety about ‘adding’ those users and allowing them to view a child’s private content. It is also important to note that while many of these sites ask for a date of birth at registration, those dates are not necessarily validated, meaning users can falsely sign up when they are too young and all users can easily encounter adult strangers. Roblox, specifically, does not require an email or phone number to be associated with an account, and

users can create an unlimited number of accounts, regardless if other accounts have been flagged or banned for breaking terms such as inappropriate language or use. These particulars represent only a few of the methods predators use to evade detection and establish contact with kids on the internet. Becoming familiar with these sites and their uses can offer insight into the types of questions to ask and the avenues of access to be wary of when confronted with illicit and threatening behavior online. It is important to acknowledge that even with an understanding of platforms, the child should still be considered the expert of their own experience. Digital culture changes and evolves at an alarming speed, and new sites or applications gain popularity quickly. In depth knowledge of each one may not always be practical, however, a comprehensive knowledge of the general landscape of online communication and social media is imperative to effective interviews of children and adolescents.

References:

Faverio, M. and Sidoti, O. (2024). Teens, social media, and technology 2024. Pew Research Center.

Fry, D. Prevalence estimates and nature of online child sexual exploitation and abuse: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, Volume 9, Issue 3, 184 – 193.