A 2nd grader sends nude photos to a stranger online. How? Why? Who or what could compel a child to do such a thing? It happens, and it happens far more often than most people realize, according to a forensic examiner and veteran member of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force in South Dakota. Think she’s exaggerating? Consider this: The Internet Watch Foundation reported a 360% increase in “self-generated” sexual imagery of 7- to 10-year-olds from 2020 to 2022. 

As a parent, what you don’t know CAN hurt you, and – worse than that – it can hurt your kids. ICAC’s Hollie Strand joins the co-hosts in The Escape Pod this week for a tough but truthful conversation about the very real dangers children and teens face in the digital world and the steps parents can take to better prepare and protect the people they love. If you’re a parent, hope to be one in the future, or simply care about the health and well-being of children in your community, this is an episode you can’t skip. 

BE ADVISED: This episode contains extremely disturbing discussion about child sexual abuse materials and child exploitation. 

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 

Topic #1      4:23 Lessons learned from online shopping scams 

Topic #2      8:31 How Hollie got into the ICAC field 

Topic #3    16:53 Digital advertising explained 

Topic #4    33:35 The importance of supervising kids’ communication 

Topic #5    52:31 Hollie shares how she protects her own mental health in her job 

Topic #6 1:08:31 Lightening things up with talk of chickens, hair dye, and free time 

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