In late May, Chase William Mulligan, 28, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pled guilty to producing child sexual abuse material that he coerced from at least 108 girls between the ages of 5 and 17 who sent him sexually explicit photographs and videos of themselves. When parents hear this information, many may think that they can keep it from happening to their child by restricting access to devices, the internet, and social media. But more important is to teach children how to navigate their devices safely so they can be equipped with the knowledge and skills to avoid and resist exploitation themselves. Ideally, this information comes from someone whom they trust.
I am a subject matter expert and consultant on sexual exploitation and when I teach parents about the risks of online sexual exploitation, including grooming, sextortion, and sex trafficking, they ask, “what parental controls do you recommend?” After all, 55 percent of parents of children under five years old allow their children to interact with a smartphone . Unfortunately, there are no parental controls that guarantee protection from online predators.
Technologies for blocking inappropriate content are not well tuned so it can be difficult to find the right level of control. A very high level of security will increase the blocking of appropriate sites. This could serve to only frustrate your child and encourage them to seek ways around the controls. However, a lower level of security will allow more illicit content through. Maintaining the right level of control for a child’s developmental age and social sophistication is a relentless and evolving challenge.