Episode 14- When Kids Become Offenders: The Collapse of the Line Between Victim and Criminal

For decades, child exploitation cases followed a familiar pattern: adult offender, child victim.

That model is breaking down.

In this episode of Chasing Shadows, veteran investigator Sean Lacy exposes a disturbing new reality — one where children are no longer just being targeted online, but are being pulled into the machinery of exploitation itself.

Drawing from real investigations, Sean explains how normalized teen sexting, viral image sharing, and underground online marketplaces are turning victims into participants — sometimes without them even realizing it. He walks listeners through cases in which juveniles were found producing and distributing explicit images of themselves for money, revealing how modern technology has collapsed the line between victim and offender.