He replied to her story. Told her she was beautiful. That he got her. That she wasn’t like the other girls. That she deserved better.

She was 14. Smart. Loved. And lonely. He knew all of that by what she posted. It only took a few weeks before he asked her to send a photo. Then another. Then one she never thought she’d send.

By the time she realized what was happening, she felt too trapped to ask for help.

This wasn’t a movie plot. It was a trafficking case and it started on social media.

When a Trafficker Is Just a Click Away

Most people imagine trafficking as a physical crime. A kidnapping. A van. A foreign border.

But trafficking doesn’t always look like movement. And traffickers don’t need to break in. They just need a friend request.

In reality, social media is now the most common gateway traffickers use to access, groom, and exploit victims; especially children.

From Instagram to Snapchat, Discord to TikTok, traffickers use the same tools teens use to stay connected. And they are incredibly good at it.

What Is Online Grooming?

Online grooming is the process by which a predator builds emotional trust with a child to manipulate and exploit them.

It doesn’t look like force at first. It looks like friendship.

The Online Grooming Process

• Targeting: The trafficker finds a child through posts, hashtags, or friend lists
• Engagement: They build trust through flattery, shared interests, and fake intimacy
• Isolation: They push the child to keep the conversation secret
• Exploitation: They ask for photos, personal information, or to meet up
• Control: Once the child complies, they use shame or threats to escalate the abuse

The child may think they’re in love. That this person understands them. That they’re in control. But they’re not.

It’s calculated. It’s common. And it’s costing lives.

Who Are the Victims of Social Media Trafficking?

Anyone. That’s the answer.

The idea that only “certain kinds of kids” are at risk is a myth and a dangerous one.

We’ve worked with survivors who were:

• Straight-A students
• Athletes
• Teens from suburban neighborhoods
• Youth group members
• Kids in foster care
• LGBTQ+ youth
• Homeschooled children

The one thing they had in common? They were accessible. They were vulnerable. And someone was watching.

The New Normal for Predators

Predators don’t need to hang around malls anymore. They can scan hashtags and geotags. They can DM ten kids a day.

And unlike past generations, today’s children are growing up online, often with more digital access than digital safety.

Here’s what makes social media trafficking so effective:

Predators Know What Works

• They study behavior: They know which posts signal loneliness or instability
• They’re patient: Grooming can take weeks or months — they’re willing to wait
• They build fake identities: Posing as peers, mentors, or talent scouts
• They escalate slowly: Moving from compliments to control
• They stay anonymous: Apps allow for secrecy and multiple accounts

By the time a child realizes what’s happening, it’s not a stranger. It’s someone they believe they love.

What Platforms Are Being Used?

According to federal case data and survivor reports, these platforms are most commonly used by traffickers:

• Instagram
• Snapchat
• TikTok
• Facebook Messenger
• Discord
• WhatsApp
• Kik
• Online games like Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft

These platforms allow predators to message privately, share disappearing content, or send payment, all within a single app.

Why Kids Don’t Tell

Even when kids feel uncomfortable, they often stay quiet. Here’s why:

• They think they’re in a relationship
• They feel embarrassed or ashamed
• They don’t want to lose phone privileges
• They’re being blackmailed
• They don’t understand it’s trafficking
• They’re afraid no one will believe them

This silence is exactly what predators count on. That’s why we can’t wait for red flags to appear. We have to start the conversation first.

How to Spot the Signs of Online Grooming

Behavioral Red Flags

• Sudden changes in mood, appearance, or friend group
• Secretive behavior around devices
• Gifts, money, or items they can’t explain
• Talking about a new older “friend” or “boyfriend”
• Skipping school or activities
• Emotional reactivity when asked about phone use

Digital Red Flags

• Constant messaging from one person
• Use of multiple or hidden apps
• Refusing to share passwords with parents
• Hiding or deleting conversations
• Following accounts that seem inappropriate for their age

If you notice several of these, trust your gut. Ask questions with empathy, not accusation.

Six Steps to Keep Your Kids Safe Online

You don’t need to know every new app. But you do need to stay connected.

Steps You Can Take Today

• Talk about it early: Normalize conversations about online safety and manipulation.
• Keep screens out of bedrooms at night: Set boundaries around when and where devices are used.
• Know the apps: Be aware of which apps allow messaging and disappearing content.
• Ask to follow them: Engage with their content. Stay involved without invading.
• Reinforce trust: Let them know they can come to you no matter what.
• Take the OnWatch training: Our free, survivor-informed training helps you recognize the signs others miss.

Additional Section 1: How Online Games Have Become a Recruitment Zone

Social media isn’t the only risk. Gaming platforms have become active recruitment channels.

Apps like Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft, and VRChat are popular with kids and traffickers know it.

What Makes Gaming Risky

• Voice chat and messaging
• Lack of parental oversight
• Anonymity through avatars
• Children playing unsupervised for hours

Grooming often starts with compliments, offers of in-game currency, or adult players “mentoring” younger ones. From there, it moves into deeper conversations and off-platform chats.

Additional Section 2: What Educators, Coaches, and Faith Leaders Should Know

You may be the first adult to notice something is wrong.

Educators, mentors, coaches, and church leaders are in a unique position to observe changes in students’ behavior.

Warning Signs to Look For

• Falling grades or absenteeism
• Dramatic personality changes
• Emotional outbursts or withdrawal
• References to an older “friend”
• Unexplained gifts, devices, or money

If something feels off, it probably is. Report concerns. Connect with families. Learn the signs of trafficking and online grooming.

Additional Section 3: Racial and Gender Gaps in Identification

Research shows that male victims of social media trafficking are less likely to be identified and helped.

Harmful myths like “boys aren’t trafficked” or “that kid’s just acting out” mean that thousands of victims are overlooked every year.

Safe House Project is committed to training professionals and communities to overcome these biases. Every child deserves to be seen.

Additional Section 4: How You Talk About This Matters

When kids hear silence from the adults in their lives, they fill in the blanks themselves.

Say This:

• “You can tell me anything.”
• “Real love never asks you to keep secrets.”
• “If someone makes you uncomfortable online, I’ll never blame you.”
• “Even if you made a mistake, you are not alone.”

Avoid Saying:

• “I thought you were smarter than that.”
• “That would never happen to you.”
• “Only girls get trafficked.”
• “Just block them.”

Kids need honesty. Not fear-based lectures. But safety through connection.

What You Can Do Today

• Get trained with OnWatch — our free, one-hour program that helps you identify and respond to trafficking in your community.
• Donate to help place survivors in safe housing.
• Share this blog with a parent, teacher, coach, or student.

When you know the signs, you can stop the cycle.

Conclusion: The New Face of Trafficking Is Digital

The trafficker isn’t hiding in the bushes. He’s waiting in a friend request. A DM. A game invite.

If we keep waiting until trafficking looks obvious, we’ll keep missing it.

But when we act early, with information, training, and compassion, we shift the odds.

Let’s stop imagining trafficking as something distant. It’s happening here. On the platforms our kids use every day.

It’s not too late to make social media safer. But we have to start now.

<p>The post Groomed in the DMs: How Traffickers Use Social Media to Lure Kids first appeared on Safe House Project.</p>

<p>The post Safe House Project Urges RFK Jr.’s Swift Confirmation to Reform Trafficking Hotline first appeared on Safe House Project.</p>

Remarks by Kristi Wells, Safe House Project CEO, for the Launch of the Frederick County Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking | November 21, 2024

See below for remarks:

“Good morning. My name is Kristi Wells, and I have the honor of being the CEO and co-founder of Safe House Project. It’s an honor to be here today as we launch this Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force for Frederick County. It’s a powerful day for all of us who are committed to this mission.

I’m also joined today by my co-founder, Brittany Dunn, and I could not run this organization every day without her. So thank you for your vision, leadership, and constant dedication. I also want to recognize the entire Safe House Project team. They work around the clock to truly support survivors.

They work to bring our mission to life every day.  Each member of our team is dedicated and compassionate and driven by our mission. They to see every single survivor that they interact with reclaim their lives. None of what we do would be possible without their constant commitment and dedication. 

Since we started Safe House Project, our goal has been clear. We run and bring hope and freedom and healing to every single survivor that we encounter. Today, I’m proud to say that Safe House Project operates the largest survivor support network in the country, working with hundreds of partners to offer shelter and resources and advocacy. 

Through our efforts, we have trained more than 400,000 healthcare providers, law enforcement officers, and community members to identify the signs of human trafficking, which is important because that helps make early intervention possible in cases that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. Ass a result,  in just the past few years, we’ve been able to support over 2,100 survivors as they begin their healing journey towards safety and empowerment. 

This is a direct result of the hard work of our team, their trust of our partners and the resilience of every single survivor that we serve at Safe House Project. We know that every survivor story is unique and our approach has to reflect and understand that one of our core values is trauma-informed care, which we embed into everything that we do from our programs to our partnership.  We’re pioneering ways to use technology to enhance support for survivors and improve our reach. Our digital platforms allow us to create secure survivor-centered communication channels that connect survivors with essential services and resources across the country.  

In addition to direct support, we invest in education and training for partners and in communities.

We equip them with the knowledge and tools to understand how to prevent trafficking and how to respond effectively. We know that our work is not only about serving survivors, but also about preventing exploitation before it ever even happens.  Safe, stable housing is crucial for any survivor’s journey, which is why Safe House Project has expanded a network of vetted safe homes across the country.

Currently, we partner with over 354 trafficking specific safe homes across the U. S., but 54 of those have been certified to evaluate them as against best practices to ensure that they are serving survivors with excellence. And another 53 of those are targeted to be certified for 2025. Each one of these places provides survivors with not only a safe place to stay, but it is a place to heal in a place to rebuild their lives.

This year alone, we placed over  1285 survivors in safe housing or helped them in their exit of their trafficking situation. We have offered them a firm foundation where they can begin a new chapter. Our approach has been proven effective for long term survivor success and ultimately their own independence in healing.

Our goal is to continue growing this network so that every survivor, no matter where they are, has access to safe and compassionate healing,  and a place where they can begin their healing journey. And that the heart of our work is a commitment to survivor centered care. Every survivor’s story is unique, and it’s our job to honor that.

So from the moment a survivor calls, it is our job to make sure that we listen with respect, we empower their own choices, and then we help them on that journey to healing. Our focus is survivor autonomy and dignity, which is why we work so closely with partners across the country. We believe that that coordinated approach brings together law enforcement and health care providers and community organizations. And when we create that web of support for survivors and we give them the resources that they need to begin healing, incredible things happen. So I’m so grateful for the partnerships that were mentioned here today, the Frederick County Sheriff’s, Sheriff’s Office, the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Frederick Frederick City Police Department, Operation Light Shine, and our federal partners.

Together, we are building that support system that leaves no survivor behind.  One of the best things that makes this specific task force really unique and different from the others around the country are the innovative partnerships. We have built  really unique partnerships with the hospitality industry throughout this task force that are going to help us ensure that survivors right as they exit get safe and stable and anonymous lodging as we help figure out where their next steps are on their path to healing.

We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the Department of Justice, especially the Office for Victims of Crime for believing in this approach and for giving us a chance to prove here in Frederick County that we can get this done. Their support of over $600, 000 for a safe house project over the next three years allows us to expand our reach and deepen our impact and continue to develop in communities to provide innovative approaches for survivor support. 

I am filled with hope when I see the commitment from the state’s attorney’s office and Homeland Security and our local and federal partners. You have to understand this is really unique and it’s not something that happens everywhere across the country. So to see everybody coming together with a unified front against trafficking means that we have a really great opportunity to see tremendous collaboration, but more than that, tremendous impact.

So as we move forward, I encourage everyone to stay focused on this mission. We know that trafficking is a devastating crime. We know it’s here in this community, but we also know it’s one that we can fight. It’s one that we can win. And so this task force is more than just innovation. It’s a beacon of hope for survivors to call and a call to action for this community to model  what we know can be achieved in other parts of the country.

Safe house project alongside our incredible team and dedicated partners are ready to contribute everything that we have to this task force. We’re inspired by the resilience of the survivors that we serve every day and we are driven by the belief that every person deserves  hope, freedom and a future. So I look forward to seeing the lives that are going to be transformed as all of us work together to provide them that brighter future. 

In closing, I want to thank you for your dedication and commitment to this cause. Safe House Project is truly honored to be part of this incredible team and honored to stand alongside each of you in this fight against trafficking.”

Click here to review Kristi Wells’ remarks.

Click here to review the complete press conference.

Click here to download Kristi’s remarks. 

For more information or inquiries, contact Elizabeth Fields at (502) 324-5665 or at Elizabeth@SafeHouseProject.org.

<p>The post first appeared on Safe House Project.</p>