predators Archives - HOPEFUL MOM

January 5, 2026December 29, 2025

How Predators Groom Kids for Sex Trafficking Online

Sex trafficking doesn’t typically start with kidnapping. It starts with grooming. Predators build trust first. They use affection, attention, and manipulation to slowly convince preteens and teens that abuse is love, secrecy is normal, and speaking up will ruin lives.

Grooming for sex trafficking happens in person and online and is particularly prevalent on social media platforms. Pornography and sex trafficking are intertwined, so we must discuss signs and grooming techniques with our children.

I recently watched a reel on journalist Lori Fullbright’s Instagram that clearly explains how predators groom their victims. You can watch the reel here. The following transcript reveals phrases predators use to manipulate, isolate, and control children before trafficking begins.

December 15, 2025December 16, 2025

Catfishing: What It Is and How It Impacts Our Teens

When my daughter worked at a local pharmacy, older ladies often came in to purchase gift cards for their online friends. Management taught her to ask questions and try to convince customers not to buy the gift cards if their stories were suspicious. Inevitably, though, buyers defended their purchases. They insisted they knew their “friend” well and there was a definite need. My daughter recognized that most of these ladies were being swindled, but she rarely talked them out of spending money on someone they’d never met in person.

These precious ladies were catfished.

July 1, 2024August 28, 2024

What Parents Need to Know About Sextortion

Sextortion. One of several threats to our children. Parents, we should be aware of the danger and talk with our children.

What is sextortion?

Sextortion is “extortion in which a perpetrator threatens to expose sexually compromising information (such as sexually explicit private images or videos of the victim) unless the victim meets certain demands.”[i] They may demand additional sexual content, sexual activity, or money. Victims often know their extorters. A current or former boyfriend or girlfriend may have an image the victim sent to them confidentially believing their interaction was personal and private. Then the offender uses the content against them.

January 15, 2024January 12, 2024

Social Media Safety

Most of us use social media daily. Whether we’re messaging a friend in WhatsApp, looking up how to fix something on YouTube, or scrolling our Instagram feed, we’re enjoying the benefits of social media. But, is it safe? Parents ask me whether they should allow their preteens and teens to get SnapChat, TikTok, or the latest greatest social media app. In this guest post, John DiGirolamo gives us some pointers on social media safety for our children. The following is an adapted excerpt from John’s booklet, It’s Not About the Predator: A Parent’s Guide to Internet & Social Media Safety.

Is social media safe? The short answer is no. Social media (and the rest of the internet) isn’t safe. So, if you are going to allow your kid access, be aware of the dangers and pitfalls.

March 6, 2023March 1, 2023

Are Our Children Targeted Online?

When I started Hopeful Mom four years ago, my goal was to wrap my virtual arms around other parents who were hurting because their child had been exposed to pornography. I focused on the parent’s internal struggles and emotional healing. These are still priorities; however, Hopeful Mom has expanded. Education (for ourselves and our children) and communication (with each other and with our children) about pornography and other online dangers are imperative.

We should learn about all things online because they are interconnected. One feeds into another. A child exposed to porn is more susceptible to predators, peer pressure, and esteem issues that lead to worry, anxiety, and depression.