EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of a series of articles focusing on the worldly challenges Christian families face and how the church can help.
In the past few decades, the world has become an increasingly unsafe and hostile environment for children. Here are four dangers children face, how these dangers affect the child and family and how the community, the church and parents can protect their children from these worldly challenges.
Child abuse
The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act defines child abuse and neglect as “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caregiver that results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act that presents an imminent risk of serious harm,” according to childwelfare.gov.
In 2022 U.S. authorities investigated nearly 3.1 million reported cases of child abuse or neglect, confirming that 558,899 children were victims of abuse, including neglect (74.3%), physical abuse (17%) and psychological mistreatment (6.8%), according to nationalchildrensalliance.org.
Child abuse leaves lasting scars — physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Childhood victims are nine times more likely to become involved in criminal activity later in life, and abused children are 25% more likely to become pregnant in their teens. Some 30% will later abuse their own children.
Researchers blame the nation’s high rates of child abuse on several major factors.
- Poverty can produce higher levels of stress and instability in the home, leading to neglect and abuse because of economic hardships and a lack of resources for proper childcare.
- Substance abuse by parents, including drugs and alcohol, can impair judgment and increase aggression, leading to neglect.
- Untreated mental health issues like depression, anxiety or PTSD can contribute to abuse and neglect.
- Some parents may lack the knowledge and skills needed to raise children, often due to their own upbringing or lack of education.
Social media
Before the advent of endless news, sex-saturated, violent television programming and the pervasive reach of the Internet, Christian parents had greater control over negative influences entering their homes. But today maintaining that control can be difficult, if not almost impossible.
Mainstream media coverage concerns parents who want to teach their children Christian values. Secular lifestyles and behavior that contradict biblical teaching are becoming the norm in society.
The Internet has brought even more dangers to children, giving them easy access to pornography, false information, online harassment and other harmful influences that can affect their safety, mental health and emotional development. Data from humantraffickingfront.org shows that, globally, 73% of children aged 10 and older owned a mobile phone in 2022.
Here are the threats that children face on social media:
- Cyberbullying — Cyberbullying via the Internet can cause children to suffer from depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, a decline in academic performance, loss of friendships, social isolation and, in some cases, self-harm and even suicide.
- Online sex predators — Online predators exploit the anonymity of the Internet to groom children, building their trust with the intention of exploiting or abusing them.
- Child trafficking —“Traffickers use and abuse online platforms to recruit, groom, defraud, coerce and exploit victims, taking advantage of the potential for anonymity offered by online spaces,” stated Cindy Dyer, ambassador-at-large to monitor and combat trafficking in persons for the U.S. State Department, in a 2024 briefing.
Child trafficking begins with methodical and intentional grooming. Social media has provided traffickers with a convenient way to find their victims. Gaining trust and posing as good listeners who care deeply, they insinuate themselves into the victim’s life, creating total dependency. Sexual exploitation begins slowly as predators gain control over and manipulate their victims
Violent crime
On September 25, 2023, in Huntsville, Laqueta Hurt’s 15-year-old son, Logan, disappeared. It was unusual for Logan, whose mother described him as responsible, loving, kind and caring. During the two months he was missing Hurt prayed, begged her community for help and waited for a good outcome. Authorities found Logan’s body Nov. 17 in a rural area of Sylacauga. Four people were later arrested in his kidnapping and death.
Violent crime against a child is a parent’s worst nightmare, but the problem is so widespread, some parents feel helpless to protect their children from those who want to harm them.
Alabama has a violent crime problem. In fact, violent crime rates in Alabama are much higher than the national average. Compared to national rates,
- The murder rate is 143% higher
- The rape rate is 50% higher
- The assault rate is 131% higher
As in other states, children and youth are becoming more and more the target of violent crimes. Violent crimes against vulnerable children are abhorrent. In many ways, churches, communities, organizations and parents can work together to help prevent them and minister to victims.
Deepfake child exploitation
Deepfake child exploitation uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to create manipulated and fabricated visual and auditory electronic content that depicts minors in sexually explicit and other exploitative situations. AI, accessible by any Internet user, can alter existing photographs or generate new content that mimics real people. The current trend of child victimization can involve sexually explicit or pornographic scenes, created without the consent or knowledge of the victim.
The primary intent behind deepfake child exploitation is to abuse minors for purposes such as blackmail (sextortion), distribution of child sexual abuse material and online harassment and embarrassment.
Alabama Child Protection Act of 2024
After two male students used facial photographs of six girls at Alabama’s Demopolis Middle School to create and post pornographic images, the state responded. On April 30 Alabama governor Kay Ivey signed the Alabama Child Protection Act of 2024, banning deepfake images created by AI under the state’s child pornography law. She said she wanted to make sure “new technologies are both safe and effective,” adding, “There is no greater public safety measure than protecting Alabama’s children.”
The impact of this type of victimization can damage a child’s reputation for years, affecting academic performance, social standing and future opportunities. Victims may experience emotional and psychological distress including anxiety, depression, feelings of helplessness or a distorted self-image. They may develop trust issues, seek isolation and withdraw from friends and activities to avoid further humiliation and harassment, and some may have difficulty forming healthy relationships.
Christian families may struggle with understanding why God allowed such harm to come to their children, leading to a potential crisis of faith. Parents might feel guilty for failing to protect their children, leading to feelings of shame and inadequacy. The family’s emotional strain can increase tensions within the family, leading to conflicts and misunderstandings.
Tiffany Cannon’s daughter was one of the victims. “You are never prepared for something like this to happen, especially in the small, rural town of Demopolis, Alabama,” Cannon said. “Very, very scary. It shouldn’t happen to anybody.” She added, she’s grateful state lawmakers took swift action.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said a change in the law is needed to keep up with technology used by child porn producers.
“The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence demands that we examine our criminal laws on child exploitation to ensure that prosecutions are not lagging behind what perpetrators are capable of doing,” Marshall stated.
How can your church help families with these challenges?
- Train church staff and volunteers to recognize and report abuse.
- Organize seminars to teach positive parenting techniques, personal safety, cyber safety, awareness of local crime trends, etc.
- Conduct thorough background checks on all staff and volunteers who work with children.
- Enforce the “two adult rule” that leaves no child alone with only one adult.
- Make sure church premises are safe for children, with secure check-in and check-out procedures.
- Preach and teach the church’s role in preventing abuse, violent crimes, social media threats, and deepfake child exploitation.
- Offer counseling services for victims and their families.
- Create support groups for survivors of these crimes.
- Educate children and adults about the dangers of online interactions with strangers and the grooming tactics traffickers use.
- Offer resource kits with information about online safety, including contact numbers for reporting suspicious activity.
- Teach children and families to recognize red flags, report contact attempts by online predators and protect personal information.
- Partner with parents and schools to create systems for sharing information about known online threats or incidents within the community.
- Churches can organize family-oriented events that strengthen family bonds and provide safe, fun environments for children.
By understanding risks and taking proactive measures, parents and churches can work together to protect children from these dangers.
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