November 28th 2024.
Two mothers from South Australia have shared their horrifying experiences with online predators, shedding light on the dangerous world of social media. One of the mothers, whose identity remains anonymous, revealed that her 10-year-old daughter had received explicit messages and videos from a 25-year-old man, despite knowing her young age.
According to the mother, it all started with a simple message saying "hey". But things quickly escalated when the man sent a picture of his genitals and continued to harass her daughter for explicit videos and even tried to arrange a meeting. Despite the mother's efforts to monitor her child's phone and social media, the predator persisted.
"It's absolutely terrifying," the mother expressed. "If I had not been home and my daughter had gone out to meet this person, anything could have happened. She could have been assaulted or worse, not come home at all. It's a parent's worst nightmare."
To make matters worse, the daughter also faced relentless bullying on a messaging app designed for kids, which greatly affected her self-esteem. "She has told me that she hates her life and no one likes her. As a parent, it's heartbreaking to hear your child speak like that," the mother shared.
The dangers of social media have been present since its inception, as highlighted by the tragic case of 15-year-old Carly Ryan in 2007. She was brutally murdered by an online predator who had posed as a teenager on early social media platforms like MySpace. Sonya Ryan, who is both a mother and an advocate for online safety, emphasized the lack of safeguards in place at that time.
"Back then, no one thought about how these platforms could be used by criminals to harm others," Ryan stated. "But as we have seen in Carly's case, it can have devastating consequences."
Now, both mothers are determined to take action and prevent other children from falling victim to online predators. "It's something that I will never stop doing, until I physically can't anymore. And maybe, if I'm lucky, I might get to see my daughter's face again," Ryan said with determination.
For those who need support, organizations like Lifeline, Beyond Blue, and the Kids Helpline are available to provide assistance. This article was created with the help of 9ExPress.
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