Local Law Enforcement Warns of 'Staggering' Rise in Online Child Exploitation

McKENZIE (January 13) — Online child exploitation has seen a “staggering” 98% increase between 2020 and 2022, according to Lieutenant David Andrews of the Henry County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division, who also serves as a task force officer with the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force. Lt. Andrews emphasized the massive scale of the global issue, noting that local West Tennessee cases are part of a nationwide surge that generated 22 million “Cyber Tips” in 2022 alone.

Andrews presented his program to members of the McKenzie Rotary Club on Wednesday, January 13.

Working a job that is 90% computer-based, Lt. Andrews highlighted that predators are leveraging rapidly evolving technology across popular platforms, including Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and even messaging features on gaming consoles like PlayStation and Xbox. The game Roblox was specifically cited as a dangerous venue, hosting organized groups that expose children to harmful content.

Predator Tactics
Andrews detailed the chillingly efficient methods used by predators to groom children. They often create fake profiles, posing as relatable teenagers to build trust—a process that can take less than 48 hours.

“The process frequently starts with a simple selfie request, which predators immediately analyze for personal details like school logos or sports memorabilia to deepen the connection,” Andrews explained. “Within 10 days of contact, a child, having shared personal information, often sends the first explicit image.”

The primary tool of exploitation is then blackmail, with predators threatening to send the images to the victim’s friends and family unless demands for more content or money are met. Law enforcement also faces challenges as perpetrators continually move victims across multiple platforms to evade detection.

Local Cases Underscore the Danger
Lt. Andrews shared several case examples to illustrate the risks:

• A 14-year-old Henry County girl, lured by a man on Snapchat, was picked up locally and later located by US Marshals near the North Carolina–Tennessee border.

• A 15-year-old boy who sent a nude picture on Instagram was blackmailed when the predator found the boy’s father on Facebook and sent the image directly to him after the boy refused to pay.

Prevention and a Call to Action for Parents
Andrews stressed that the successful prosecution of these crimes requires a multi-agency approach, involving evidence preservation, forensic interviews at centers like the Carl Perkins Center, and strict sentencing by judges.

However, prevention starts at home. Parents are urged to take proactive measures:

• Establish “No Phone Zones”: Keep phones out of bedrooms and bathrooms, and have children charge their devices in common areas to prevent unsupervised, late-night use.

• Be Aware of Hidden Features: Parents should know about features like Snapchat’s “My Eyes Only,” a hidden, password-protected vault often used to store inappropriate content.

• Open Communication: Andrews noted that open dialogue is critical, as children who are being exploited often feel unable to tell their parents out of fear.

For victims, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) offers the “Take It Down” program, which helps scrub exploited images from the internet. Lt. Andrews and his team also offer an educational program for schools, targeting 5th grade and up, to teach children about online dangers and how to protect themselves.

Speaker’s Background and Role in Law Enforcement
• The speaker is David Andrews, a Lieutenant over the Criminal Investigation Division for the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.

• He is also a task force officer with the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, operating out of the Sheriff’s Office.

• Electronic Service Providers (ESPs) like Google and Facebook use algorithms to detect Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM), conversations with trigger words, and now transaction-based exploitation.

Scope and Rise of Online Child Exploitation
• There was a 98% increase in exploitation cases from 2020 to 2022, largely due to increased internet usage during the pandemic.

• Exploitation is a global problem, not just a big-city crime, with local cases in West Tennessee involving perpetrators as far away as Nigeria.

• In 2022, there were 22 million Cyber Tips reported nationwide, underscoring the massive scale of the issue.

• Platforms used for exploitation are widespread and include Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and messaging features on gaming consoles like PlayStation and Xbox.

• The game Roblox is identified as particularly dangerous, hosting satanic cult groups like “741” that expose children to harmful content.

Predator Tactics and the Exploitation Process
• Predators use rapport-building tactics, similar to law enforcement techniques, to gain a child’s trust—often within 48 hours.

• They create fake profiles and pose as teenagers, using familiar language and shared experiences (e.g., being grounded or hating school) to seem relatable.

• The process often starts with a simple selfie request, which predators analyze for personal details (sports memorabilia, school logos) to deepen the connection.

• Within 10 days of contact, a child often sends the first nude image after feeling comfortable and sharing personal information such as parents’ names and school.

• Blackmail is the primary exploitation tool; predators threaten to send explicit images to the victim’s friends and family if demands for more content or money aren’t met.

• Predators move victims across platforms (e.g., from Instagram to Omegle) to evade law enforcement and cover their tracks.

Case Examples of Child Exploitation
• An 8-year-old girl downloaded Snapchat on a Wi-Fi-only phone and was coerced into sending increasingly explicit photos. Her 13-year-old sister intervened and told their mother.

• A 14-year-old girl in Henry County, unhappy at home, was lured by a man on Snapchat who drove to pick her up. She was found by US Marshals on the North Carolina–Tennessee border.

• A 15-year-old boy sent a nude picture to someone he thought was a girl on Instagram. The predator then found the boy’s father on Facebook and sent him the image when the boy refused to pay money.

• A 22-year-old man created a fake female Snapchat account to trick teenage boys into sending nude images, resulting in a 25-year federal prison sentence.

Prevention, Intervention, and Law Enforcement Response
• Parents are advised to set “no phone zones” such as bedrooms and bathrooms and have kids charge phones in common areas to prevent late-night, unsupervised use.

• Parents should be aware of Snapchat’s “My Eyes Only” feature—a hidden vault that often contains inappropriate content and requires a password to access.

• Open communication is critical, as children often feel unable to tell their parents about being exploited.

• The speaker and his team offer an educational program for schools (5th grade and up) to teach children about online dangers and how to protect themselves.

• Successful prosecution requires a multi-agency approach: patrol officers preserving evidence, forensic interviews at the Carl Perkins Center, district attorneys, and judges who impose strict sentences.

• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children offers the “Take It Down” program to help scrub exploited images from the internet.