336 — Proactive Parenting to Prevent Online Exploitation

Christopher Diorio joins Dr. Sandie Morgan to discuss proactive parenting approaches that reduce children's vulnerability to online exploitation and prevent human trafficking. Christopher Diorio Christopher Diorio is a supervisory special agent with Homeland Security Investigations in Washington, D.C. He specializes in combating human trafficking and child exploitation. With over two decades of law enforcement experience, Chris has been at the forefront of investigating complex cases and developing strategies to dismantle criminal networks. He is passionate about prevention and advocates for proactive parenting approaches to reduce children's vulnerability to exploitation. Chris will also be a featured speaker at Insure Justice on March 7th and 8th, 2025. Key Points Children must be taught to become "hard targets" to protect against online exploitation. Parents should familiarize themselves with the social media platforms and apps their children use by downloading them personally. The concept of "hard targets" stems from lessons in personal safety that parents pass on to their children in real life, such as protecting wallets or purses. Parental controls on social media apps are essential tools but are underutilized by many parents. Parents should balance allowing children access to social media with supervision and clear guidelines. Blocking children entirely from social media can hinder their ability to learn safe online habits under parental guidance. Open, daily conversations between parents and children about online interactions build trust and awareness. Children need to recognize and trust their instincts when encountering abnormal online behavior. Online predators often use tactics such as creating multiple personas to manipulate and build trust with children. The dark web is not inherently evil but can be misused by bad actors to exploit children. Community collaboration, including law enforcement, schools, and parents, is crucial in preventing exploitation. Empowering parents to raise their cyber IQ and engage actively in their children’s digital lives reduces vulnerability. Resources iGuardian Transcript   [00:00:00] Sandie: Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast here at Vanguard University's Global Center for Women and Justice in Orange County, California. This is episode number 336. [00:00:14] Sandie: Proactive Parenting to Prevent Online Exploitation with Christopher Diorio. [00:00:22] Sandie: My name is Dr. Sandy Morgan, and this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. I'm so grateful to have our guest, Christopher W. Diorio [00:00:38] Sandie: With us today, and he is a supervisory special agent with Homeland Security Investigations in Washington, D. C. There he specializes in combating human trafficking and child exploitation. With over two decades of law enforcement experience, Chris has been at the forefront of investigating the complex cases and developing strategies to dismantle criminal networks. [00:01:12] Sandie: He is passionate about prevention and he advocates for proactive parenting approaches to reduce children's vulnerability to exploitation. I'm excited because he's going to be at Ensure Justice, March 7th and 8th, 2025. There will be a link to register to join us in the show notes. But for now, we're going to have a conversation with Chris and demystify technology and empower our communities to take action. Welcome. [00:01:53] Christopher: Thank you, Dr. Morgan. I very much appreciate the opportunity to be here with you today. [00:01:57] Sandie: Well, let's get started. In one of our past conversations, you mentioned the importance of making children hard targets, and that caught my imagination. We're going to use that terminology during this podcast. What. What would it mean for you to make a child a hard target?