Durban North mom concerned for teens on social media

WHILE many parents feel that their children are safe indoors with their electronic devices, it could very well be the opposite, especially if these children have access to social media and the internet.

Recently, a Durban North mom took to a community group in an attempt to find a few girls who had been sending provocative images to her 13-year-old son. Her name will not be revealed in order to protect the identity of her son.

Also read: Durban North CPF warns of SAPS imposter asking for donations

“I opened my son’s Snapchat account and went through his inbox messages. I keep tabs on his social media activities because I am aware of how dangerous it can be in terms of human trafficking. I was shocked at the images I saw. Some of the girls looked very young, which was a concern to me. I know my child is not innocent, but for young girls, especially, to be sending pictures with sexual innuendos to a stranger is dangerous. I wanted to find those girls and speak to their parents. There are sexual predators out there, and they need to know the dangers of social media,” she said.

“As parents, we are sometimes of the assumption that our children will come and speak to us about everything, but it’s most likely the furthest thing from the truth. We don’t know what’s always going on with our children, especially on their devices. Although I want to respect my son’s privacy, just how much privacy does a teenager need?” asked the concerned mother.

Gloria de Gee of the Umgeni Community Empowerment Centre (UCEC) said that something that many don’t realise is that social media can be a dark place for girls.

For over two decades, UCEC has been helping men, women and children who are victims of human trafficking – through its various initiatives.

“Social media can also be a playground for traffickers to target girls and to sell them. These platforms have been a game-changer for traffickers – with this kind of technology at their fingertips, they can reach more people faster and often don’t even have to meet their victims in person. They use social media to deceive victims and maintain control over them,” she said.

It’s all about control. Sometimes, traffickers impersonate their victims online, so they can start rumours or share intimate pictures to ruin their reputations. It’s all a means of control because the more isolated someone is, the more vulnerable they are,” she added.

De Gee said that traffickers are strategic in finding their victims, looking specifically for those who portray low self-esteem and post about loneliness and unstable home conditions. This makes it easier for them to gain their victim’s trust and groom them.

“Traffickers don’t find their victims on social media by accident. If you start chatting to someone, and they know a lot about you and say all the right things, alarm bells should start going off. They prey on the vulnerable,” she added.

Other accounts to look out for are organised groups posing as employment agencies and online dating sites.

“They’re professional frauds. Traffickers are out there in the online dating world, too — they pretend to be looking for a date in order to start a conversation with new potential victims. Be aware if someone’s profile looks suspicious or if what they’re offering seems too good to be true,” she said.

She added that knowledge is power and that knowing how a human trafficker thinks is one of the ways in which to combat the problem.

“In order to fight back, we have to know how traffickers think. There’s no time to waste – with the global spike in trafficking and gender-based violence, we need to work together to protect girls now more than ever. Speak to your children about the dangers of human trafficking. Equip them with knowledge,” said De Gee.

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