Keeping youth safe online event on January 21

(January 16, 2024) — Cherish All Children, a service of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, will host a virtual event designed to equip community members to keep children and youth safe from online sextortion. 

Protecting Youth from Online Sextortion will take place from 2:30-3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 21 virtually. The event presenter will share information from the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and provide tools and resources about how to keep children and youth safe. Parents, grandparents, teachers, faith leaders, youth and others are invited. Event attendees are asked to register if they are planning to come. People can register here. The event is part of National Human Trafficking Prevention Awareness Month in January. 

In 2022, there were more than 7,000 reported sextortion cases against children in America, according to the FBI. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received 12,500 reports of online sextortion targeting children from January to July 2023, far surpassing 2022’s numbers.

“We all share a responsibility to protect children from sextortion,” said Joy McElroy, director of Cherish All Children for Lutheran Social Service. “Our goal is to empower youth with the knowledge to make safe and healthy choices, both online and in person. We can equip faith leaders, families, teachers and community members with tools to get started.”