Episode 146: Child Sex Trafficking & The Social Media Grooming Process

DESCRIPTION Child sex trafficking doesn’t only happen overseas. About 80% of the kids being trafficked are U.S. citizens - born and raised in the United States - kids from all walks of life, all neighborhoods, all backgrounds. And they are not being abducted, they are being lured, manipulated and groomed on social media. Since about 2015, more than half of the kids being trafficked in the United States are recruited off of social media, and the #1 place they are being recruited from is Instagram. Sex trafficking is a difficult topic for parents to talk about, and is probably one of the worst experiences that one could ever have or imagine. It is critically important to be aware of the trafficking dangers all around, especially on social media, and to know the most common methods being used to lure kids in. Parents, you can help guard your kids against online sex trafficking predators and recruiters. Listen closely as Roger Martin, the founder of Humans Against Trafficking, a non-profit whose mission is to use technology to empower people to fight human trafficking, joins Dr. Meeker in this sobering discussion about the realities of child sex trafficking and the grooming process that recruiters routinely use. WELCOME Dr. Meg welcomes guest Roger Martin to this PGK episode. A CONVERSATION WITH DR MEG (PART 1) Dr. Meeker and Roger Martin have an honest and sobering conversation about the dangers of child sex trafficking and how children and teens are being lured in through their social media activity. BREAK A CONVERSATION WITH DR MEG (PART 2) Dr. Meeker and Roger Martin continue their honest and sobering conversation about the dangers of child sex trafficking and how children and teens are being lured in through their social media activity. IN CLOSING Dr. Meg and Roger talk about Radlee(TM), an AI technology powered mobile app aimed at helping parents understand their own child's sex trafficking risk profile on Instagram (soon available on TikTok). Visit GetRadlee.com to learn more, or download it from the Apple App Store. Parents can also stream the documentary, “Stolen”, which Roger created in connection with NBC. Available on Peacock, NBC’s streaming app, the documentary allows parents to see real-life examples of predatory approaches, what types of social media posts attract predators, and more. To connect with and learn more about Roger’s non-profit organization, Humans Against Trafficking, visit www.humansagainsttrafficking.org FROM THE PRODUCER Thanks for listening to Episode 146, CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING & THE SOCIAL MEDIA GROOMING PROCESS, and for helping Dr. Meg’s parenting revolution reach over SIX MILLION downloads! Subscribe, rate, and leave a review for us on iTunes! Get Social with Dr. Meg on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @MegMeekerMD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices