Welcome to the next episode of the Tusc Against Trafficking podcast. On this episode, Jocelyn Hamsher sits down with two professionals to discuss a topic that's relevant to practically every single home in our country: Internet and online safety.

You'll hear from Suzanne Lewis-Johnson, CEO at Rahab Ministries, who previously served for 10 years as an FBI agent, largely investigating online crimes against children. You'll also hear from Detective Sergeant Adam Fisher from the Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office.

The online realm is the first and most-active place child predators are grooming their victims in the world today. How do parents equip themselves and their children to guard against online predators? Parents need to utilize the same "stranger danger" rules online as in the real world. If you wouldn't let your child play with a strange person on the playground, you shouldn't let them play with strangers in Fortnite or any other online game or platform.

How do parents educate themselves on the new and ever-evolving advances in social media and technology? What steps can parents or kids take if they feel they've been contacted by an online predator?

We had a previous episode on grooming and red flags, but now hear some specific examples of grooming seen from the Sheriff's Office point of view in our county. Also, hear first-hand experience with cyber bullying and how that can affect children. The way parents react when kids confide in them will impact the future trust kids have in their parents. If parents react negatively or act as though the child is fabricating stories, it could lead the child further into a predator's grasp.

How should parents respond when - not if - their children are exposed to inappropriate content on the internet? Parents need to remember that more times than not, children aren't actively searching for inappropriate content; rather, they stumble upon it accidentally.

Learn the truths about all these questions and more on this episode!

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!

As you journey through the season, please send any questions and/or feedback you have to [email protected], or visit the website at tuscagainsttrafficking.org/podcast.

On the final episode, we will do a Q&A session based on the responses we gather throughout the season.

Thank you, and together we can end human trafficking in our community!