How Human Traffickers Use the Internet: What Caregivers Should Know
Jan 21, 2026
Advances in technology and the internet have changed how we live and connect. They have also created new risks, including online recruitment and exploitation of children. Whether through phones, tablets, smartwatches, or computers, the internet is now at the fingertips of most children in the United States.
Child safety messaging used to focus on “stranger danger.” While stranger danger can still be real, reality has shifted. Most children are contacted through apps that may seem harmless.
What Human Trafficking Is — and How the Internet Fits In
Human trafficking is a crime that involves coercing a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts. Coercion can be subtle or obvious, physical or psychological. Importantly, the exploitation of a minor for commercial sex is considered human trafficking regardless of whether force, fraud, or coercion is present.
The internet opens doors and gives access to more children than ever before. Receiving a direct message from someone you don’t know isn’t unusual for kids.
Although not every person online wants to traffic or exploit children, it is helpful to know that it can happen in ways that seem innocent.
How Social Media, Games, and Messaging Apps Can Be Used
Many popular online games, including Roblox and Minecraft, allow children to chat with others in real time. Children may receive messages that seem friendly. However, the person behind the screen may not have good intentions. Trafficking rarely begins with a random kidnapping or an obvious red flag; it often starts with a simple “hey” and a connection that feels fun, validating, and safe.
Traffickers often use social media apps and online chat features to befriend a child and build trust. The National Human Trafficking Hotline reports that sex traffickers frequently use tactics such as lies, threats, violence, and false promises to manipulate victims and keep them involved. With the amount of personal information available online, it doesn’t take much effort to learn personal details about a child.
Common Ways Children May Be Drawn In:
Money: A child may be asked to send inappropriate photos and offered money (sometimes hundreds of dollars for a single image).
Romantic Relationships: A trafficker may form an emotional bond, telling a child they are beautiful or “mature for their age.” They may share personal secrets that make the child feel special.
Vapes or Drugs: A child may use someone they met online to obtain a product which can then become something the child is told they must repay by engaging in sexual behavior or sending explicit content.
Friendship: A child may meet someone of the same sex, a new friend. That new friend may be used by someone to traffic or exploit children.
Status: Wanting to fit in or be part of a special group can make children feel valued and agree to something they normally wouldn’t.
Why A Child Might Not Disclose
Adults can find it hard to understand why a child wouldn’t speak up. Sometimes, the child doesn’t even recognize that what is happening is considered trafficking or exploitation. There are many reasons a child may not disclose:
Feeling ashamed
Being afraid
Trusting the other person
Thinking they are in love
Getting money or gifts that make the child feel needed or important
Warning Signs Parents and Caregivers Should Watch For
Gifts arriving at home with no clear reason
A child having money they cannot explain
A new phone or device you didn’t know about
An adult asking a child to keep secrets
Someone online asking to meet in person
How Parents Can Reduce Digital Risk
Modern technology includes many safety tools, such as parental controls and monitoring apps. Phone carriers and device makers often offer settings to limit or turn off chat features and help monitor use.
However, technology alone is not foolproof. One of the most effective protective factors is open communication. Talk to your child regularly about online safety. Create an environment where they feel safe coming to you. Even if they think they might get in trouble, let a child know it is safer to come to you then to continue engaging with this person. Reducing fear and judgment can make a big difference.
Awareness Is Protection
When it comes to online exploitation and trafficking, it is important to remember this can happen to any child, regardless of race, gender, or economic status. Any child with internet access can be at risk. Taking that risk seriously, maintaining open communication, and educating both yourself and your child about what trafficking really looks like can help prevent harm before it begins.
Resources
If you suspect trafficking or online exploitation, contact one of the following:
National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888
Ohio Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-844-363-5448
Franklin County Internet Crime Against Children (ICAC): 614-525-3448
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC): TakeItDown@ncmec.org
Dennette Santamaria, MSW, LSW is a licensed social worker and Forensic Interviewer at The Center for Family Safety and Healing and the Trafficked and Exploited Youth Coordinator at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Dennette received her Bachelor’s and master’s in social work from The Ohio State University.
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