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Human trafficking committee launches Student Online Safety outreach to warn parents about social-media risks
Summary
A human trafficking committee announced a Student Online Safety (SOS) initiative and a statewide expert panel, saying phones and social media are being used to recruit and exploit young people; committee members pledged districtwide outreach but did not specify dates or phone numbers for resources.
A member of the human trafficking committee said the group has started a Student Online Safety (SOS) effort and will travel across the district to teach parents how to reduce the risk of online recruitment and exploitation.
"We began the human trafficking committee, and after that, the student online safety, SOS, because much of the human trafficking nefarious characters are coming really right from the cell phones," the staff member said. "Your phone and what you're doing with social media can in fact bite you back and can in fact bring you into what is called the human trafficking world."
The committee said the SOS initiative will draw on a panel of experts that includes the FBI, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the No More Foundation, plus other agencies across the state, to brief parents and young adults on online risks and protective steps. "It doesn't matter your age, your race, your gender, where you're from, socioeconomic status, educational level. It can happen to anyone," the staff member said.
Committee organizers described two related goals: raising awareness that information and photos can be sold and that traffickers target vulnerabilities, and giving parents concrete strategies to protect children. The staff member said the committee "will commit ourselves again to going throughout the district to make and help our parents become not only aware, but what strategies can they do to protect their child." The speaker added that, if exploitation occurs, the committee will provide information on "what numbers, what phone numbers, what resources shall they use to to mitigate." Those specific contact numbers and dates for outreach were not specified in the remarks.
During the presentation the organizer repeatedly emphasized community support: "You are not alone, and you have the support of the whole community around you," the staff member said. The transcript contains no formal vote or ordinance tied to the announcement; the remarks describe planned outreach and education rather than a binding action.
Next steps described on the record were outreach events and use of the expert panel to inform parents and young adults. The committee did not provide a schedule, budget, or the specific phone numbers and resource materials it intends to distribute during the outreach.
