3 Ways to Avoid the Back-to-School “Scaries”

As the pandemic continues, many families — by choice or otherwise — are venturing out of the safety of their homes and entering a new world of unknowns. According to Street Grace, a faith-based organization whose mission is to eradicate the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC), research shows these three steps can help parents avoid the back-to-school “scaries” and help protect children from abuse and exploitation.

Monitor screen usage.

Pre-pandemic, adolescents spent an average of four hours a day on screens, and nearly half of teens were online almost constantly. With virtual learning, screen time has increased dramatically, giving young people even greater unintended access to pornographic images and exploiters.

Keep screens in well-trafficked areas of the house, and never let your children use screens without an adult in the room. Confirm the identities of those with whom your child is messaging. In addition, be aware of all your children’s accounts and how to access them (e.g., passwords.) Finally, consider using a free app for parents to monitor social media to supervise correspondence.

Know who your children are spending time with.

Peer relationships play a critical role in the healthy social development of your child, but they also come with many risks. Research suggests that 89.4% of those victimized by childhood sexual abuse were abused by someone they knew, including friends (13.5%), neighbors (28.2%), and family members (37.8%. Approximately 54% of juveniles victimized by sex trafficking were recruited into exploitation by friends, followed by boyfriends (31%) and family members (15%).

Get to know your children’s friends and their friends’ caregivers. Speak with them often about expectations and boundaries. Take extra caution surrounding sleepovers and, when appropriate, enforce curfews.

Talk to your children.

There are many influences on children and adolescents, including siblings, peers, media, and pornography. However, parents are consistently found to be the primary influence surrounding sexual health and development of children, which includes protecting against child abuse and exploitation.

Parent-child communication should be informal, honest, reciprocal, and frequent, and should include positive and negative aspects surrounding sex. While older children need more freedom, vigilant care can be taken at all ages. Be curious. Ask questions. Children need to feel connected to and supported by their parents. When — not if — your children encounter a troublesome situation, they will know that you are a safe base and will come to you for help.

Visit streetgrace.org/resources for more resources on how to keep children safe from abuse and exploitation.

About Street Grace

Street Grace is a faith-based organization that utilizes evidence-based demand reduction strategies to eradicate the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) through prevention, protection, policy, and pursuit. CSEC is any sexual activity involving a minor for which something of value is given or promised. Learn more at streetgrace.org.