Image Credit: Street Hope TN / Facebook & Canva.
Article by Paula Gomes, Tennessee Conservative News –
A Tennessee nonprofit organization is sounding the alarm regarding skyrocketing cases of predators targeting children online. The group reports that cases of online exploitation have increased exponentially from around 30 instances per month to more than 22,000 in less than a year’s time.
Specifically, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) reported in 2017 that they were averaging 30 cases per month, compared to the 22,000 cases reported last year (2025).
Street Hope TN, who work to prevent the exploitation and trafficking of children says that victims are targeted through social media apps with Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube all attracting preteens and teens in the 12 to 17 crowd. Online gaming can also open this demographic up to abuse.
According to Lisa Ivy, Director of Prevention Education at Street Hope TN, one of the biggest threats to children is “sextortion,” a scam which involves a predator threatening that a sexual image of the victim will be leaked unless money is sent to the individual who is preying on them.
Teenage boys are increasingly being targeted in these scams, leading some to commit suicide.
Predators may never meet their victims in person as they’ve learned how to manipulate children through a multitude of apps that kids use.
An expanded resource guide from Street Hope TN will be released in the near future as a guide for parents and grandparents to adopt basic safety habits. Some steps to keeping kids safe are disabling location services, keeping social media accounts locked down and private, and talking regularly with children about who they may be talking to when they are online or on apps.
Street Hope TN also offers educational resources for children in grades K-5 at LancelotKids.com which can help discuss online safety with young children without exposing them to distressing topics.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also recently warned parents about the growing threat of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) generated by artificial intelligence (AI) using images of children that predators obtain from their victims online.
According to federal investigators, images of children can be manipulated using AI-powered apps to create fake, sexually explicit content in just seconds and then used to harass, exploit and extort victims.
In a recent podcast, Special Agent Kathleen Callaway with the FBI’s Washington Field Office explained that while grooming isn’t a federal offense, the FBI investigates it because it is a common precursor to the types of illegal acts which fall within their purview.
State lawmakers are considering new legislation aimed at protecting children from AI-related crimes when the Tennessee General Assembly reconvenes in the new year.
Sources:
TennesseeConservativeNews.com.
TennesseeConservativeNews.com.
WVLT.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
