The podcast content may contain sensitive topics. Listener discretion is advised.

About 40% of relationships now begin online. Many turn into beautiful, healthy, lifelong partnerships.

On this episode of the Protect & Prevent Podcast (P3 Kids), Opal Singleton Hendershot of MillionKids.org, one of the leading voices in keeping kids safe from predators, talks about the other side of online relationships that no one wants to believe could happen to them.

Teens. Adults. Seniors. People looking for connection… and instead finding manipulation, grooming, blackmail, or heartbreak engineered by someone who never existed in the first place.

And here’s the part most people don’t realize: We’re not just meeting a few strangers online anymore. We’re sharing digital space with 5.5 BILLION people, many who havethe same tools we do, such as:

• Geo‑location tools• Global money transfer for extortion
• AI-generated deepfakes• Massive amounts of personal data about us like where we live, work, and who we love

Digital relationships feel real because the brain releases the same dopamine as in-person connection. And when people feel safe behind a screen, they share more including more emotion, more vulnerability, more intimate content… and sometimes, even more than they ever intended.

We discuss risk factors to consider, indicators that you might be being groomed or seduced, and suggested discussions in talking with your teen about healthy vetting processesin online relationships. 

If you or someone you love is considering or navigating online dating, online friendships, or online “connections,” this episode is not optional. It’s essential.

Protect yourself. Protect your family. Listen now to the Protect & Prevent podcast.

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Website: https://MillionKids.orgEmail: [email protected]
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