Danger for children can be in their own pockets every day, a law enforcement official told parents during an internet safety seminar hosted by Anderson High School and the Anderson Police Department.
The seminar was a way for parents to learn how predators use digital platforms to target children, and to glean ideas to help protect their children.
A presentation given by Lt. Doug Baker with the Fishers Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force was designed to make parents aware of how serious these crimes are.
“I don’t think parents realize the dangers that happen within the devices kids have in their pockets every day,” Baker said. “We think about physical dangers out in the world, and they forget about the dangers that are in their homes every day.”
Baker said his department has seen an increase in child sex abuse cases since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, the department received 490 tips on such cases; last year, that number jumped to 612.
Baker said his department has seen that young boys represent the highest proportion of victims for sextortion.
Baker has traveled churches, Boy Scout and Girl Scout meetings, and other venues in Tipton and Fishers in an effort to bring awareness to a wider audience.
Jeff Sells, the director of operations at Anderson Community Schools, said Monday’s seminar was an important conversation to have, especially with the rise in these cases – including a prominent one involving Fishers teenager Hailey Buzbee, who authorities said was killed after being lured away by an online predator.
“(Anderson Police) Chief (Mike) Lee had reached out to us, and with everything that happened in Fishers with the young lady, it’s on everyone’s mind and this was a perfect time to do it,” Sells said.
“It seems like we have a recurring trend when kids get in trouble, it has something to do with social media. When parents come in, the common denominator is the parents saying, ‘I had no idea what my kids were doing.’ We saw this as an opportunity to educate parents on what to look for.”
Sells said presentations on internet safety will be shown to all ACS elementary students this year. Those presentations began last Thursday. Next year, the middle school and high school students will be shown their presentations.
Each presentation, given by APD officers, will be geared more toward each age group to keep them engaged in the conversation.
To help protect children, Baker urged parents and guardians to keep a closer eye on what their children are doing online.
“Your kids are not going to tell you everything,” Baker said. “You’re going to have to figure out the answers on your own. Parents need to be educated on how to use these apps themselves, and they need to have these apps on their own phones and keep track of what their kids are doing.
“Have open conversations, so when something bad does happen, the kids feel comfortable enough to come talk to their parents,” he added.
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.