BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Posting photos of children on social media is common, but Idaho law enforcement warns that it can put kids at risk in many ways, online and in real life.
Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford and Canyon County Sheriff Kieren Donahue both said that once a child’s photo is online, even on a private social media page, it can be misused as child sexual abuse material/child sexual exploitative material and spread. It can also be what leads a child predator to that kid or teen, resulting in harm.
“That image can be used as a piece of CSAM and make its way around the world,” Sheriff Clifford said. “[A predator] can figure out a lot about your child from a picture, like what school they go to, what time they go to school; they can probably figure out where you live.”
“It could be innocent, but that image is out there now,” said Sheriff Donahue. “Somebody is going to grab that image and use that image, and they’re going to, most likely, try to find that [child]. Then comes the coercion and the grooming”
Grooming can happen either off the web or through it. With smartphones, tablets and computers giving kids widespread access to social media, they suggested parents and other caregivers stay up to date on technology and apps, and share age-appropriate warnings with children.
“Warn them, there are bad people in the world,” one sheriff’s office representative said. “And if someone asks you to take even a simple picture of your feet, of your hands, you need to report that to mom and dad and do not do it.”
“Tell them, don’t send images back and forth with your friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, or anyone,” Sheriff Clifford said. “Once you send an image of yourself, especially one that’s inappropriate, it’s going to be out there for the world to see.”
Sheriffs also urged parents and other caregivers to watch for changes in behavior and stay involved in what their kids are doing online. “If they go shut themselves in their bedroom for hours on end, you better get in there and be intrusive; see what’s happening because that’s where predators live,” Sheriff Donahue said.
These warnings come as CSEM tips and arrests quadruple over five years in Idaho, according to Idaho’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit’s task force.
