If you are under 10 years old, please visit NetSmartz.
Welcome to the Know2Protect campaign’s K2P Kids and Teens Portal! This is the place for children and teens ages 10 and up to learn more about staying safe online. We teach people about child sexual exploitation and abuse, which special agents and law enforcement officers call CSEA for short.
We want you to stay safe online. You can use this page to get tips on protecting yourself and your friends when you’re:
- Playing games.
- Messaging people.
- Using social media.
Scroll down, meet the iGuardians® and learn what to do if someone makes you uncomfortable online.
Internet safety is important, and we are here to help!
If something has already happened that made you feel uncomfortable, you can scroll to the "Something Happened. What Can I Do?" section below.
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Try Out the Know2Protect Snapchat Lens!
The Know2Protect Snapchat Lens engages teens through a fun and interactive quiz format that poses true-false questions about online safety and how to prevent potential online harms. Scan the Snapcode with your Snapchat app or click the link below to get the Know2Protect Snapchat Lens.
Understand How Exploitation Happens
Some adults can exploit (take advantage of or use) kids and teens in many ways. Sometimes, people who seem safe become unsafe, and they do things or ask you to do things that make you uncomfortable. Police and other adults often call people who do these things predators because they prey on others— but to you, they may just feel like friends or people you know online. They may be friendly, approachable and loving — and they may be someone you already know and trust.
Online predators or unsafe people can be on chat apps, online games and the social media platforms where you spend your time. These people sometimes use fake profiles and pretend to be someone your age to gain your trust. They may start by asking you to chat with them as a friend or romantic partner, then ask you where you live or where you go to school. They may even ask for your phone number. You might trust them and feel like they wouldn’t ask you to do something that could be dangerous or harmful.
Engaging with you online and getting you to trust them is called grooming. Grooming is the act of getting a kid or teen to feel more comfortable — comfortable enough to do things they wouldn't ordinarily do. Sometimes grooming is as simple as giving you compliments and positive attention. Other times, it takes the form of money, gifts, e-gift cards or in-game credits.
Days, weeks or months might go by before these people begin having inappropriate, sexual conversations with you — but in some cases, it happens in just one sitting. Over time, the conversations can get more and more graphic, and the person may ask you to send inappropriate photos or videos or ask you to meet them in person. They might also threaten or blackmail you by telling you that if you don’t give them more photos, money or online gift cards, they’ll share your photos or videos with other people. This is called sextortion. You can view an interactive video from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children called “No Escape Room” that walks parents and children through the interactions that can lead to online sextortion.
These interactions might make you feel uncomfortable, anxious or stressed. The feelings might show up physically through things like:
- Decreased appetite or other changes in eating habits.
- Headaches.
- New or recurrent bedwetting.
- Nightmares.
- Sleep disturbances.
- Upset stomach or stomach pain.
- Other physical symptoms with no physical illness.
But there are ways you can protect yourself.
Meet the iGuardians!
A savvy duo of Homeland Security Investigations special agents, their trusty canine sidekick Captain Canine Mojo, a student named Penny and Mr. Emmett the teacher have joined forces to form our team of iGuardians. They spread Know2Protect’s call to action: Educate the public on the dangers of online predators, help prevent future crimes and empower people to report suspected abuse.
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HSI Special Agent Larissa Law
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HSI Special Agent Larissa Law helps kids and teens stay safe online by making sure their devices aren’t sharing location information with people they don’t know. If something happens online that makes you uncomfortable, Larissa says to tell a trusted adult and save all the messages, images and information from the person that made you feel worried or uncomfortable. That way, HSI can find them.
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HSI Special Agent Jesse Justice
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When the iGuardians hear about something going wrong on the internet, HSI Special Agent Jesse Justice is there to investigate. He works with his team to support kids and teens by teaching them how to report things that make them uncomfortable right away and letting them know it’s never their fault when other people do bad things.
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Captain Canine Mojo
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Captain Canine Mojo is part of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and helps the iGuardians by sniffing out criminals online. The team's loyal canine is also a therapy dog, caring for and supporting children and teens who need him while reminding them that no matter how they’re feeling, help is always available.
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Friend Penny Peace
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Project iGuardian advocate Penny Peace spreads the word at her school to keep other kids and teens safe. She sets all her social media accounts to private and makes sure her friends are careful about everything they share online. Penny says, “Anything put online lasts forever, even if it is deleted.”
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Educator Emmett
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Our Project iGuardian educator, Mr. Emmett, teaches his students how to set healthy digital boundaries, encouraging them to put down their phones and take a break from social media when it makes them feel uncomfortable or unhappy. He reminds his students that he’s always there to listen when they need a trusted adult.
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Download the Project iGuardian Avatars
Download the Project iGuardian® characters to use as your profile picture on any social media platform!
Here are a few ways you can protect yourself on social media or while playing games online:
- If you don’t know someone in real life, be very careful if they try to contact you online. If you only know someone through a game or app, they are still a stranger.
- If you meet someone in a game, do not follow them to another chat platform or another app.
- Do not send anything that you wouldn’t want everyone to see.
- Never send pictures or videos to someone you don’t know or participate in sexually inappropriate video calls or livestreams.
Here are some tips to help you spot a fake profile:
- Unclear or blurred profile pictures.
- Limited pictures on profile.
- Incomplete profile information.
- Limited activity on the site.
- Inconsistent information.
- Poorly written profile.
- Very few followers or friends.
- Requests personal information too soon.
- Suspicious profile name.
- Images that seem too perfect to be genuine.
Download the Fake Profile PDF to print at home.
- Set all apps, games, social media accounts and devices to private.
- Turn off location data services on social media and all apps, except the ones your family uses to keep track of where you are. Talk to a trusted adult about which apps need location services and which don’t.
- Remember, anything posted online can be found later, even if it’s deleted. After it’s sent, you can’t take it back.
- Don’t believe that everyone is who they say they are online.
- Know who is on your friend lists. Remove strangers. Only accept friends you know in real life.
- Never leave a game to chat on a different platform with someone you don’t know.
- Don’t respond to messages or requests from people you don’t know.
- If something happens that makes you feel uncomfortable or you feel like something’s just not right, tell an adult you trust, such as a parent, relative, teacher or family friend.
- Do not delete messages or images. Save usernames, screenshots and images as evidence.
- Don’t panic. You’re not alone. There are many ways you can get help.
Download the Top 10 Tips2Protect for Teens to print at home.
If something happens that makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, here’s what to do:
- Remember it’s not your fault.
- Even if you feel embarrassed or ashamed, tell a trusted adult — this may be a parent, a teacher, a coach or any other adult you feel comfortable with.
- Immediately stop talking to the person who made you feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Do not speak with them and do not send them more messages, photos or videos. Don’t pay them any money.
- Save all usernames of anyone who made you feel uncomfortable. Usernames can be valuable evidence.
- Save all messages, photos and videos, and don’t delete anything.
- Do not respond to any unknown accounts. Sometimes predators create new, fake accounts to try to contact people who have stopped talking to them.
- Allow a parent or trusted adult to report online child sexual exploitation and abuse to the authorities before it happens to someone else.
- The sooner you report the crime, the better.
How2Report
To report things that make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, you can tell a trusted adult, such as a parent or other relative, teacher, coach, school counselor or police officer. Call 911 in an emergency.
You can also report it through one of the following ways:
- Call the Know2Protect Tipline at 833-591-KNOW (5669). You don’t have to tell them who you are. Experts will review the information you share, and they’ll send it to special agents — real-life iGuardians — who may start an investigation.
- Submit a CyberTipline report with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Resources for Children and Teens
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National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
For information on services and support for you and your family members, contact NCMEC.
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Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
If you are thinking about suicide or need emotional support, contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by phone or text at 988 or call 911 — help is always available.
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Take It Down
Take It Down is a free service that can help you remove or stop the online sharing of nude, partially nude, or sexually graphic images or videos of you.
