Department of Homeland Security releases new campaign to crack down on online child sexual exploitation

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – A new public awareness campaign has been launched by the Department of Homeland Security to crack down on online child sexual exploitation, and local experts are weighing in.

The Know2Protect program teaches young people, parents, and trusted adults how to prevent and combat exploitation and abuse – online and off. It will explain how to report these crimes and offer resources for victims and survivors.

There were 36 million reports of suspected online child sexual exploitation and abuse last year through the CyberTipline, which is a 360% increase from 10 years ago. We spoke with a Holyoke computer company about the importance of monitoring your child’s online activities to protect them from potential predators.

“You can be anybody on the internet if you have a picture and you can post it and you don’t need to verify it, you can be an anymous person and they pretend their someone else, and the victims don’t know,” said Owner and Manager of Reliable Computer in Holyoke, Dan Deschaine.

He says parents should make sure their kids change their social media passwords often and always log out on all devices. He also recommends setting up both a parent and children’s account with Google to limit them from certain websites and platforms. They’ll also help you set up security on your computer or other devices if you need it.

Kayleigh Thomas is a digital reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since 2022. Follow Kayleigh on X @kayleighcthomas and view her bio to see more of her work.