Imagine a teenage boy messaging online with someone who looks like an attractive young woman, only to find out he is actually in communication with a middle-aged man, and the image that got the youth’s attention was manufactured using artificial intelligence (AI).
A crowd of people at an event organized by state Sen. Darby Hills, R-Barrington Hills, to educate parents about the dangers of sexual abuse, extortion, and more to unknowing children using their phone, computer, or other electronic device were in disbelief watching a video about such an interaction.
“It’s hard to know what it is and it’s scary,” Hills said. “It’s really the wild, wild west out there.
AI, grooming children and teens by adults on the internet, and being an unknown victim of child abuse were discussed by Hills and two professionals at a Keeping Kids Safe in a Digital World program Wednesday in Barrington designed to educate the adults in the room.
A former attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and a philanthropist, Hills has spent much of her time advocating for children and helping youngsters. She hopes to get a bill passed that she introduced in Springfield, toughening protections against the sexually motivated recording of minors.
“Technology is moving at a fast pace, and AI is coming at us fast and furious,” Hills said. “We need to keep pace with that as legislators in Illinois. We have to understand it and increase our awareness to protect children from technology.”
Karilyn Orr, an internal safety and prevention specialist in the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, and Nick Jakubisin, a special agent in the Illinois State Police’s violent crimes unit, joined Hills in the presentation.
Orr said older children spend more and more time looking at the screen of an electronic device like a phone, computer, or tablet. In 2023, youngsters between the ages of 9 and 12 averaged six hours a day excluding school. It jumps to nine hours for teenagers.
Too much time on social media can lead to behavioral issues. Orr said using social media more than three hours a day can lead to anxiety, depression, loneliness and isolation. The same people are more likely to report aggression, bullying and anti-social behavior.
Much of the screen time communicating with other young people on the internet — some of the contacts are unknowingly mature adults — takes place late at night and into the wee morning hours. Orr said it is a time parents are sleeping and have no control over the situation.
“Friendships start normally online. You feel someone is a friend and you’ll say anything. They don’t know they’re talking to an adult,” she said. “Take the device away at night,” she added, encouraging parents to take some control. “Tell them it’s not punishment, it’s protection.”
Youths can become comfortable with an online “friend” and not realize sending a suggestive or naked picture is wrong and can last forever on the internet. Orr said parents should report such instances to the local police and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Before ever needing to deal with their child in a situation where they might send an inappropriate picture to an “online friend,” Orr said parents need to put the youngster at ease. They need to trust their parents, not the person who victimized them.
“Let your child know it’s not their fault,” she said. “Don’t take the phone away,” She added, suggesting controls might be in order. “Get mad at the criminal, not the child. Help the child.”
Some cyber criminals may be trying to extort money from a victim. Seniors as well as children can be victims. Orr calls it “sextortion.” They may not be looking for gratification from the photograph. They want money.
“There’s been a huge spike in sextortion,” she said. “They come on to you to get a picture, and they blackmail you. It all starts when they try to make you feel good. They play on your loyalty, but they’re not your friend.”
