Children’s Champ

Walk into any elementary or middle school. Take a look at the children, the teachers and the learning environment.  What do you see—surely not online sexual exploitation? 

It’s hard to believe that one in four children between the ages of 9 and 12 report having an online, sexualized interaction with someone they believe is an adult. One in five of those children don’t tell anyone—not a friend, parent, or trusted adult. Silence. We need to create safe spaces with trusted adults, so kids can speak up. Of course better yet, prevent it from happening in the first place. 

The anti-trafficking group Thorn offers a new, six-week training for online child safety in order to help parents and caregivers have vital conversations, take action, and share this knowledge with others. This month get ready to learn with this course designed for folks with limited time. You’ll receive one email per week that covers topics such as sextortion, AI-generated, deepfake photos, the problem of child victim identification, and more. There’s very helpful advice on digital parenting here. 

Below, you’ll find an email from Thorn you can share with your network of friends and family. Adjust it as needed to fit your voice, but please share. I’m signed up and learning right along with you. This will inform our prayers and action. 

Subject line: Will you become a Child Safety Champion?

I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to share something with you that’s been really meaningful to me recently.

I’ve been spending time with Thorn’s Child Safety Champion email series, and it has been very eye-opening. I’m learning about the digital threats kids are facing today— from grooming and sextortion to AI-generated deepfake nudes—and more importantly, what we can do about it.

I know this topic can feel overwhelming, but that’s exactly why I wanted to reach out. Thorn has made this sensitive content very approachable. The series provides practical tools, real research, and concrete steps to help protect the young people in your life.

Each week includes:

• A short video (usually 2-3 minutes) grounded in research
• Downloadable guides with actionable steps
• Social media content to help spread awareness

What struck me most was learning that simple awareness and early conversations can make such a huge difference. If you’re interested, you can sign up here: https://info.thorn.org/child-safety-champion-general

Let me know if you have any questions — I’m happy to chat about it.

Take care,

 Prayer

“I hear the Lord God saying to all the enemies of his children, (people) 

‘You’d better come out of your hiding places, all of you who are dong your best to stay far away from  me.’

Don’t you know there’s no place to hide?” Psalm 68:22

We praise you Lord for using this mini-course to expose the forces of darkness and those scheming to manipulate and deceive children. You say your people will be the conquerors, soon to crush every plot and scheme, with our enemies under our feet. (Ps.68: 23)

Bless and multiply the work of Thorn and other organizations in this war. Let folks sign up to learn and share that knowledge with others. Let bold conversations take place that bring understanding of what children face. Encourage parents, caregivers, and all who work with children, to know that their actions and words are making a difference.

Expose and transform the landscape, such that the enemy is the one running and defeated. Abundant life is the bread that kids will eat. 

In the Mighty Name of Jesus, we pray.