There are news stories that are not just read. They stop you. They freeze you. They make you look at your child, your grandchild, your student, the kid next door and ask yourself: do we really know who they're talking to when they're holding their cell phone in their hand?
The internet entered our homes as a tool for knowledge, communication and entertainment. But today, for many children, it has also become an invisible road where strangers, fake identities, traps, blackmail and people who are not looking for company are roaming. They are looking for victims.
The interview with the former director of the Cybercrime Investigation, Manolis Sfakianakis, in Newsbeast, brought back to the forefront an issue that we should not let get lost in the news flow. The reference to “Sofaki 11”, an online “bait” used to identify people who approached minors, is not just a detective story. It is a mirror of a society that has often left its children alone in front of a screen.
And here the big problem begins.
How many parents really know what is happening on their child's cell phone? How many know who they are chatting with, what games they are playing, what applications they are using, what profiles are approaching them? How many of us have given a cell phone or tablet to calm our child down, without thinking that this "black box" may be opening doors to people we would never let into our home?
As a journalist, I have an obligation to write. As a mother, I need to shout.
Children are not only at risk from the stranger on the street. They are also at risk from the stranger who appears as a peer, as a friend, as an admirer, as someone who “gets it.” The danger can begin with a simple message, a compliment, a gift, a promise, a false intimacy. And little by little, the child becomes emotionally, psychologically trapped and often blackmailed.
This is not “childish naivety.” It is organized manipulation.
People who target minors know very well how to build trust. They don't always appear threatening. They can appear loving, generous, kind, protective. They can tell a child what they need to hear. That they are beautiful. That they are special. That they understand them better than their parents. And that's where the trap begins.
The most dangerous thing is that many children are afraid to speak up. They are afraid that they will be scolded. They are afraid that their cell phone will be taken away. They are afraid that they will be accused. And so, instead of asking for help, they are left alone in the face of blackmail, shame, fear.
Herein lies our responsibility as parents and as a society.
It is not enough to say "don't talk to strangers". We must build a relationship of trust with children. They must be able to tell us "something scared me", without fear of punishment. They must know that if they made a mistake, we will not throw them into guilt. We will protect them. Because the abuser wants the child silent. Our job is to keep the door of communication open.
The issue is not just about the family. It concerns the school, the state, the platforms, the justice system, the media. We cannot ask a 10, 11 or 13 year old child to understand on their own the mechanisms of manipulation that even adults often have difficulty recognizing.
Education is needed. Prevention is needed. Serious information is needed in schools. Parents need to learn about their children's digital lives, not to watch them with suspicion, but to accompany them responsibly. The state needs to strengthen the Prosecution of Cybercrime with people, technology and legal tools. Platforms need not to hide behind terms of use and algorithms.
Because here we are not talking about a simple violation of privacy. We are talking about the protection of a child's soul and child dignity.
We also need to change our language. We often hear the term “child pornography.” But the more correct term is “child sexual abuse material.” Because it’s not about images. It’s about abuse. It’s about violence. It’s about crime. It’s about children who have been exploited and who are often re-traumatized every time this material is released.
The internet is not the enemy. Ignorance is the enemy. Indifference is the enemy. Silence is the enemy.
Let's talk to our children. Let's ask them without interrogating. Let's listen to them without panicking. Let's find out what apps they use. Let's check their privacy settings with them. Let's explain to them that we don't accept unknown profiles, that we don't send personal information, that we don't open suspicious links, that no one has the right to ask for photos, secrets or silence.
And if something happens, the first thing a child needs to hear isn't "What did you do?" It's: "I'm here. It's not your fault. We'll get through this together."
This article is not written to scare. It is written to wake up. Because our children live in a world where childhood can be threatened through a screen. And if we, the adults, do not learn to see behind the screen, then we leave our children exposed to people who know very well how to hide.
Protecting children is not just a matter of technology. It is a matter of love, responsibility, education, and presence.
To be present. Not to scare our children, but to remind them that they are not alone.
Sources: Newsbeast, interview by Manolis Sfakianakis with Dimitris Karastefanis, Hellenic Police – Instructions for safe access to the internet, Europol, Reuters, Internet Watch Foundation.
Important journalistic note: in the article I avoided harsh details and technical descriptions, because in such matters we must inform without reproducing the trauma or giving "instructions" to malicious people.
