BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. – Recent arrests in the area have highlighted the persistent problem of child exploitation online.
Investigators with the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, or ICAC, said they’ve seen a major increase in the number of tips they’re tracking down — from an estimated 2,000 in 2019 to 10,600 last year.
This year is already trending ahead of those numbers.
“We believe it is due to just the widespread use of mobile devices, more access to people overall to online platforms and applications, but also the providers, those app programmers, the companies that provide the services and the apps,” said Stephen Anders, a captain with the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office and commander of Southern Virginia ICAC. “They’re getting better at detecting this activity on their platforms and reporting it in a more efficient manner.”
Anders said wherever children are online, predators will follow.
“Whether it’s websites that are geared more towards children, like Roblox or Fortnite or, you know, Club Penguin or any of those apps, if a child can have an account there, there’s nothing stopping an offender from also pretending to be a child and creating an account to go there and interact with them,” Anders said.
Safety advocates say education is key to combating the issue, and one group is developing an app to help. The Safe Surfin’ Foundation worked with a California-based company to develop the Deputy app. It uses AI and online influencers to educate children about online dangers.
“The kids can actually open this app … and say, ‘here’s what’s happened: I’ve had a predator approach me and want me to send them my address. What should I do?’ Well, then the influencer on this app is going to say something to the effect of ‘cut off your contact with this person. Tell your parents, tell a trusted adult.’ And it gets more in depth with that,” said Eddie Worth, president and executive director of the Safe Surfin’ Foundation.
The app will be used in West Virginia public schools next school year, Worth said. They are also working on a more in-depth app with a learning model that should be ready in 2026.
Both Worth and Anders said apps and tracking tools can only go so far — and parents need to have age-appropriate discussions with their children early and often and keep a close eye on any changes in their behavior.