Medford County captain urges parents to research devices, talk to children and use available resources

Captain Anders, a captain with the Medford County Sheriff’s Office and commander of the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, urged parents to take concrete steps to protect children from online exploitation.

"When it comes to online safety, the 3 pieces of advice I would give the parents are, number 1, research and understand the capability of the devices that you let your kids use," he said, recommending that caregivers learn device capabilities and enable parental controls and security features. He said those settings help "create a safe environment" for children using phones, tablets and other connected devices.

He advised parents to maintain regular, age‑appropriate conversations about Internet safety. "Have ongoing intentional conversations with your children about Internet safety," Captain Anders said, adding that parents should ask open‑ended questions and "actively listen to their concerns" because "1 conversation is not going to cut it."

He also cautioned caregivers not to assume their family is immune. "Don't think that it can't happen to your child," he said, noting that parents of victims often say, "I never thought it would be my child." He underscored the scope of the problem by saying, "We've had victims as young as 6 years old sending explicit content."

Captain Anders characterized education as the task force's primary tool against online exploitation and directed listeners to the task force's website for materials and guidance. "For more resources, check out icactaskforce.org," he said.

The remarks in the transcript are advisory and informational; there were no formal actions or votes recorded in the provided text.