Protect Me Project

08/29/2026

The National Center on Exploitation announces victory for child protection.

47 state AGs sued Meta over child harm. Now, Meta has agreed to pay $17.1 billion and make several safety changes to their platforms.

08/26/2026

🍎 Every school has a role in preventing human trafficking—and that starts with equipping the adults who interact with students every day.
Teachers, administrators, counselors, coaches, and school staff are often the first to notice when something has changed.

🎓 Training helps educators:
✔️ Recognize behavioral and environmental warning signs
✔️ Understand how exploitation can occur both online and in person
✔️ Respond according to school policies and mandated reporting requirements
✔️ Foster trusting relationships where students feel safe asking for help

💙 When educators are informed, they're better prepared to identify concerns early and take appropriate action.
Prevention IS NOT ABOUT HAVING ALL THE ANSWERS—it's about knowing what to look for and what to do next.

📊 Research Spotlight:
The U.S. Department of Education recommends that schools provide ongoing training for educators and staff on recognizing, preventing, and responding to human trafficking.

🔗
https://www.ed.gov/sites/ed/files/documents/human-trafficking/human-trafficking-americas-schools.pdf

08/24/2026

🏫 Schools Are One of the First Lines of Prevention
As students are back in school, teachers and school staff have a unique opportunity to notice when something doesn’t seem right. 👀

School staff may be among the first people to notice changes in behavior, attendance, friendships, online interactions, or relationships that could signal a student needs support. 🛡

When schools create environments where students feel seen, supported, and safe asking for help, they become a powerful part of protecting students from exploitation and other risks. 🌱

Learn more about human trafficking prevention and resources for schools:
🔗https://www.schoolsafety.gov/sites/default/files/2024-01/Human%20Trafficking%20Resources.pdf

08/21/2026

Teachers Can Reinforce Digital Safety Every Day 👩‍🏫

Digital safety doesn’t have to be a one-time lesson—it can be reinforced through everyday conversations and classroom routines. ⏰

Simple reminders matter. Encourage students to:
📱 Report uncomfortable or concerning online interactions.
🤝 Tell a trusted adult if someone asks them to keep secrets, share personal information, or send photos.
🧠 Think critically about who they interact with online and how online friendships develop.
💙 Respect their own digital boundaries and the boundaries of others.

➡ When teachers create an environment where students feel safe asking questions and speaking up, they help build lifelong habits for navigating the digital world.

Prevention starts with everyday conversations. 🛡💬

There are many resources that help educate teachers on how to start these conversations! Reach out if you would like more information!

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) – Online Safety Resources
https://www.missingkids.org/content/dam/netsmartz/downloadable/tipsheets/netsmartz-overview-flyer.pdf

08/19/2026

📱 Pause Before You Share!

The internet is a big part of students' daily lives—but every post, photo, and message is an opportunity to practice digital safety.

Teach students to pause before they share:
📱 Keep personal information private.
📸 Remember that photos and videos can be copied or shared.
📍 Think twice before sharing your location.
💬 Know that not everyone online is who they claim to be.

📊 Research Spotlight:
The Child Rescue Coalition recommends maintaining open communication, understanding the digital platforms children use, and teaching them to recognize manipulative behaviors as key strategies for preventing online exploitation.

Having a conversation can help students make informed choices about sharing too much online and interacting with dangerous people.

🔗
https://childrescuecoalition.org/educations/10-expert-tips-for-protecting-children-from-online-sexual-predators/

08/17/2026

👩‍💻Learning doesn't stop when the school day ends—and neither do the risks students may face online.

📊In 2025,National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), CyberTipline received 21.3 million reports. Out of those, "NCMEC identified and escalated for law enforcement more than 53,000 reports that were urgent or involved a child in imminent danger."

That's why digital safety is an essential part of student safety 🛡

Encourage students to:
📱 Think carefully before accepting friend requests or messages from people they don't know.
🎮 Be cautious when chatting on gaming platforms.
📸 Never feel pressured to share personal information or images.
💬 Talk to a trusted adult if an online interaction makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

Teaching students how to recognize healthy online interactions and respond to uncomfortable situations helps build confidence and resilience—not fear.

🔗
https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/cybertipline/cybertiplinedata
https://www.missingkids.org/content/dam/missingkids/pdfs/2025-reports-by-esp.pdf

08/14/2026

An good step to take to prevent exploitation starts with teaching students what healthy relationships look like.

✅When students understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy behaviors, they're better equipped to recognize manipulation, coercion, or grooming—and more likely to seek help from a trusted adult.

✅Teachers, school staff, and parents all have opportunities to reinforce these lessons through everyday conversations and by modeling healthy interactions.

✅Healthy relationship education isn't just about preparing students for the future—it's about helping them stay safe today.

08/12/2026

Grooming is a process of building trust over time to gain access, create secrecy, and manipulate a potential victim for sexual abuse.
It often happens gradually, making it difficult to recognize in the moment.
For educators and parents, it's important to look for patterns, not isolated behaviors.

Some warning signs may include:
• Giving a student excessive gifts or money 💵
• Encouraging the student to keep secrets from trusted adults 🤐
• Seeking frequent one-on-one contact outside of appropriate settings
• Gradually crossing personal or professional boundaries
• Isolating the student from friends, family, or other trusted adults ❌

These behaviors repeated or combinations of these behaviors may indicate that a student needs additional support or that a situation should be addressed according to school policies. 🚩

🔗
https://polarisproject.org/blog/2021/02/love-and-trafficking-how-traffickers-groom-control-their-victims/

08/11/2026

NMEC partners with Netsmartz to bring great tips and powerful tools to parents and teachers alike!

Back to School Overview Online Safety Personal Safety Español Back To School It’s back-to-school season! While it’s easy to get caught up in all the excitement this time of year brings, it’s also important to have a conversation with your children about safety. It’s a great time to cover of...

08/10/2026

One of the most overlooked risks in schools is peer on peer recruitment ‼
Harmful recruitment or manipulation often begins with:
➡ A “trusted” classmate
➡ Someone offering attention or belonging
➡ A peer introducing risky online connections

📊 Research Insight:
"Traffickers commonly use youth who are being exploited to recruit other youth because they have easy access to peers and can more easily form close relationships with peers.
Recruitment of youth by their peers may take place in schools, group homes, residential treatment facilities, homeless services settings, substance use services settings, on the street, online, or in other situations."

🤝 Prevention starts with understanding influence and teaching what safe, healthy relationships look like.

🔗
https://www.rhyttac.net/assets/docs/Resources/Tipsheet%20on%20Peer%20to%20Peer%20Recruitment.pdf