Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Online: Virtual World, Real Victims

The growing ease of access to social media and the internet has, unfortunately, also created increased opportunities for bad actors to groom, exploit, and abuse children online.  What do these experiences look like, especially with the rise of Generative AI, and how can we build both caregiver and child awareness to recognize situations and interactions that require extra vigilance or total avoidance?

Children and Screens held the #AskTheExperts webinar “Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Online: Virtual World, Real Victims” on Wednesday, September 18 at 12pm ET. Panelists from the Department of Justice, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and other experts in youth experiences with online exploitation and abuse provided parents and caregivers with the information they need to help youth avoid the most common exploitation and abuse scenarios they may face online.