With the holiday season approaching, the hunt for the perfect gift is on. As parents, guardians, and caregivers, we all want to create a magical holiday for our children and teens and that often means finding the “must-have” gift. This year, tech tops the list, from our oldest to our youngest. But when it comes to technology, safety must come first.
Technology has exploded and continues to advance at lightning speed. Unfortunately, crimes facilitated by technology have grown just as fast. Many games, apps, and platforms designed for kids were built without safety as a priority. That leaves openings for predators, inside your child’s phone, games, and social media, while the systems meant to respond to these crimes often lag behind.
If you’re responsible for a child, you need clear rules for technology use in your home. Monitoring online activity isn’t optional, it’s essential. Stranger contact online is common. Current statistics show 1 in 4 children will be solicited for sexual activity online by age 18. You must know how to protect them and teach them to tell you when someone they don’t know reaches out.
Gifts with messaging, chat features, or live streaming carry risk. Right now, lawsuits are underway against gaming platforms for enabling child exploitation. For example, Roblox is being sued by multiple parents whose children were targeted by predators on the platform. Remember: phones, tablets, and gaming systems aren’t “just toys”; they’re communication devices, and communication devices can be used to groom, travel, and meet up.
Apps aimed at youth often promote features kids love, disappearing messages, anonymous accounts, and privacy. Apps that delete conversations or use end-to-end encryption make reporting difficult and erase evidence. Any app where a child can talk to strangers is inherently dangerous.
One of the fastest-growing crimes against kids is sextortion, especially targeting boys. Predators pose as peers and pressure kids for sexual images. Once they get one, they threaten to share it with parents or post it publicly unless the child pays. These schemes escalate quickly and have led to multiple teen suicides, sometimes within hours of the first threat.
And with the rise of AI, predators don’t even need a sexualized image from a child. A single photo of a child’s face can be used to create realistic deepfake child sexual abuse material. These images and videos look real and are tailored to the predator’s demands.
Private chats, group messages, and friend requests aren’t the only risks. Predators also use in-game gifting, skins, upgrades, and currency, to bribe, groom, or even launder money.
Finally, if you’re gifting old phones or tablets, remember they may still contain stored content, images, contacts, accounts, passwords, and chats. Always wipe and reset devices before handing them over.

Safe Gifting Checklist

Before Buying
☐ Check if the device or app allows messaging, chat, voice, or live streaming—assume strangers can access it.
☐ Research complaints or lawsuits involving the platform.
☐ Prefer devices with parental controls, age restrictions, and monitoring.
☐ Avoid apps with disappearing messages, anonymous accounts, or encrypted chats.

Setting Up
☐ Turn on all parental controls, filters, and purchase limits.
☐ Disable location sharing.
☐ Set up accounts using a parent’s email.
☐ Require approval for all friend requests and messages.
☐ Turn off in-game purchases or gifting where possible.

Old Devices
☐ Factory reset before gifting.
☐ Check camera roll, saved files, and app history.
☐ Remove old passwords and accounts.

Talking With Your Child
☐ Explain that strangers online may lie about who they are.
☐ Teach them to report messages from strangers immediately.
☐ Never send photos or personal info to anyone they don’t know.
☐ Assure them they won’t be in trouble for telling you.

Ongoing Safety
☐ Regularly check messages, friends, apps, and photos.
☐ Keep devices out of bedrooms at night.
☐ Stay aware of new apps, AI risks, and deepfakes.
☐ Consider using a parental monitoring app to help track activity, set screen limits, and receive alerts for unsafe content or interactions. Popular options parents often use include Bark, Qustodio, or Net Nanny. These apps can help you monitor messaging, social media, and app usage while giving children some privacy. ❦

About the Authors

Dr. Deaneé Johnson is a nationally recognized expert in child development, child exploitation, and trauma-informed systems. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Just For Kids Child Advocacy Center in Beckley, West Virginia, where she leads a multidisciplinary team providing critical services to children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
In 2025, Dr. Johnson launched Project GRACE (Gathered Response to Address Child Exploitation)—a pioneering initiative funded by the West Virginia First Foundation and community partners. Project GRACE has expanded the center’s scope of work by coordinating with nontraditional community partners to deliver vital services to identified child victims of trafficking. The program also equips frontline professionals with tools to recognize and respond to signs of exploitation in high-risk environments.
Dr. Johnson’s leadership in this space led to her participation in a United Nations Dialogue on Human Trafficking in Vienna, Austria, where she elevated the voices of Appalachian children and emphasized the unique challenges of rural trafficking, including familial exploitation and service deserts.
Previously, she served as a Visiting Fellow at the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime, where she founded the Child Exploitation and Polyvictimization Working Group in collaboration with the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. Her work helped shape national strategies and best practices for addressing complex victimization in children.
Dr. Johnson’s career spans leadership roles at the National Center for Victims of Crime, Delaware’s statewide sexual assault coalition, and CASA programs in Southern Maryland. She has advised Facebook’s Safety Advisory Board on child protection and served on national advisory boards including the National Children’s Alliance and the Linking Systems of Care for Children and Youth Demonstration Project.
She holds a Ph.D. in Child Development from Texas Woman’s University, an M.A. in Counseling from Midwestern State University, and a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University. A proud member of the Roma community, Dr. Johnson is committed to culturally responsive services and inclusive systems change.

Ria Mitchell is a recognized expert in human trafficking and child exploitation prevention. She is currently the Project GRACE (Gathered Response to Address Child Exploitation) Coordinator for Just for Kids Child Advocacy Center in Beckley, West Virginia, where she leads multidisciplinary efforts to identify and support children and families affected by exploitation. Through Project GRACE, she strengthens community safety by improving coordinated services, expanding prevention initiatives, and advancing the regional response to child trafficking across southern West Virginia.
Ria holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Fairmont State University. Her work integrates academic insight with a trauma-informed approach to advocacy and training, strengthening public preparedness and improving outcomes for children affected by abuse. She also serves on the West Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force as the Team Leader for the Services Committee, supporting statewide prevention and response efforts.
Ria is a proud mother who enjoys writing, creating art, and spending time in nature. She is passionate about equipping families, professionals, and communities with the tools to recognize and respond to trauma with empathy and evidence-based care.
In 2025, Ria participated in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Constructive Dialogue on Trafficking in Persons in Vienna, Austria, as a civil society delegate representing the United States. She shared her recommendations on preventing and responding to the unique ways trafficking manifests in Appalachia and rural areas, including familial and survival trafficking.
Committed to breaking the cycle of violence, Ria works to ensure children and families are supported, safe, and able to thrive.

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