BOISE, Idaho — Online platforms have grown rapidly in the last two decades.
Social media sites and messaging apps continue to be popular places for adults and kids alike to use on a daily basis. This has led to a growth in online predators enticing minors.
The Boise Police Department's special victims unit and its detectives work constantly to monitor messaging sites to combat online predators and they are asking for parents to help.
Education and communication are key parts to help stop online predators and BPD wants to highlight how common it is for minors to encounter enticement online.
“Unfortunately, it happens more than we like to believe and that’s why my detectives in our unit are constantly out there working as hard as we can to protect the kids,” said Sergeant Cory Turner, BPD. “I can't express enough how important it is for parents to be involved with what their kids are doing and take an active role in paying attention to what their kids are doing with their electronic devices whether its cell phones, laptops, tablets.”
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, in 2022, there were over 80,000 reports of online enticement for children. Open dialogue with your kids and reporting to the authorities can stop predators and help BPD arrest more suspects
“You have individuals who are looking to do harm and they also have access to these different apps and the different technology that’s out there,” said Turner.
For more statistics on child enticement and other online crime reports, check missingkids.org.
