Online gaming is one of the world’s fastest-growing entertainment industries. While many players log on looking to battle with friends, speed through a simulated race track, or even build a virtual world, there’s a seriously dangerous aspect to gaming.

A new FBI campaign, It’s Not a Game, warns parents that sexual predators consider these platforms “hunting grounds.”…

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“Unfortunately wherever children are, predators are lurking. So when you have kids on social media or video games, particularly when there’s an interactive element, you’re going to find predators there,” warns Lina Nealon, Dir. of…(NCOSE)…

In the summer of 2020, FBI analyst Chris Travis noticed a trend in several child exploitation cases.

“These perpetrators were using online gaming platforms to open communication with the children…and then woo them over to other applications, where they can then have video and picture sharing capability,” Travis told CBN News.

Once on a social media app, the suspect would push the child to send photos, getting increasingly aggressive…

“Our kids in this country who are sex trafficked, this is the number one way it happens…,” said Kevin Branzetti, an NYPD veteran and co-founder of the National Child Protection Task Force…

After more than a decade working in cyber investigations, Branzetti says some of the same technology he uses to find missing kids, could also help prevent them from ever being targeted. It all has to do with the personal data collected by the websites, social media platforms, and apps we use…

While Big Tech companies may have that information, they don’t currently use it to keep their spaces safe for children. Nealon is on a mission to change that.

“We’re asking these corporations to default to safety, default all of the safety controls…And again, proactively intervening when appropriate,” Nealon said.

While she’s making progress with these companies, it’s a slow process. So in the meantime, parents need to be vigilant…

Chris McKenna, the founder of Protect Young Eyes, says building a strong relationship with your child is one of the best forms of protection…

All of these experts stress not to attempt banning your child from the internet….Instead take more control over what they can access, in order to stop unwanted access to them.

Share how you have established online protection for your children. Please share your prayers for protection as well!

(Excerpted from CBN News. Article by Caitlin Burke. Photo Credit: Emily Wade/Unsplash).