Tri-State child advocacy group hosts digital safety summit to address online child exploitation | #childsafety | #kids | #chldern | #parents | #schoolsafey

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – A local child safety advocacy group held a digital safety summit Friday night at Central High School.

Organizers at Holly’s House say one in four children are being solicited online, including in the Tri-State.

The summit is meant to bring community members together to talk about the issue and highlight what each person can do to help fight against that exploitation.

Experts in investigating and arresting cyber criminals spoke at the event.

“We’re finding financial fraud groups that are specifically targeting children for that sexual financial extortion and children need to be prepared for that,” said Chuck Cohen, vice president at the National White Collar Crime Center. “It’s important that the children themselves know this can happen and there is no profile of this as a child that’s going to be victimized. They come from every financial background, every educational background, every social background, and it’s important for the children also to know that they are the victim, that it is okay, that it’s not their fault, and you have some trusted adults, or hopefully moral trusted adults that they can come to and then have those trusted adults know through things like this happening tonight what they can do to provide services and support for the child,”

The program also included asking attendees to sign Holly’s House ACT Pact.

“Our Act Pact means that people will advocate for digital safety in the spaces around them, that they will personally commit to digital safety and making sure that if children are around them and their devices, they won’t be exposed to things that they shouldn’t be. And then they will tell if a child is unsafe in any way digitally or in person,” said Kristine Cordts, executive director of Holly’s House.

Cordts says in Indiana, every Hoosier is a mandated reporter of abuse or un-safety in children. She says digital safety is counted in that.

If you want to pledge to advocate for and commit to digital safety practices in your community, you can sign the ACT Pact here.