A growing issue that has been seen in Central Illinois and Nationwide is the prevalence of child and adolescent grooming happening on online platforms which sometimes turn into real-life meetings. Chief Deputy Jim Baker of the Christian County Sheriff's Office says that national numbers show that one in five children will be sexually exploited by an adult stranger online.

Chief Deputy Baker says this growth was sparked by increased technology use in the Covid-19 era. He continued by saying parents and their children must have open and honest communication concerning technology use and how contact with a stranger can be made online through multiple different channels.

Chief Deputy Baker provides proactive tips for parents to safeguard their children from strangers online. One of his main messages for parents is that for children, the cellphone is a privilege, not a right, and the activity on the device should be monitored by guardians.

Recognizing the warning signs is an important piece to protecting a child from being sexually exploited online says Chief Deputy Baker. He reminds parents to be watchful of suspicious apps, gaming chat rooms, and secret phone usage behavior.

Chief Deputy Baker and the Christian County Sheriff’s Office remind the public to always report any cases of child or adolescent grooming to law enforcement. Chief Deputy Baker says a digital curfew on cell phones will help eliminate secretive communications and further protect the vulnerable population of the youth.

Chief Deputy Jim Baker appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.