{"id":8922,"date":"2023-11-16T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.childrescue.org.nz\/?p=8922"},"modified":"2023-11-10T04:49:46","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T15:49:46","slug":"how-social-media-drives-sex-trafficking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.childrescue.org.nz\/blog\/how-social-media-drives-sex-trafficking\/","title":{"rendered":"How Social Media Drives Sex Trafficking"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There\u2019s a good chance you found this post through social media.<\/span><\/h5>\n

We\u2019re not against the use of social media; on the contrary, we use it regularly to disseminate information and share rescue stories with our readers. Like a car, social media can be extremely useful when used responsibly.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, also, like a car, misuse can prove disastrous.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, we want to talk about how social media, all on its own, helps drive sexual exploitation without any trafficker involvement whatsoever.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Priming young minds<\/span><\/h2>\n

Social media platforms are specifically designed to trigger the brain’s pleasure centres. \u201cLikes\u201d and \u201cviews\u201d artificially activate the social reward part of the brain. This section of the brain normally releases dopamine when you make a new friend or strengthen a relationship with someone you care about. In bypassing the work that goes into forming real connections, social media attention can hit that dopamine trigger over and over.<\/span><\/p>\n

The result is something <\/span>dangerously close to a chemical high.<\/span><\/a> Social media addiction is an unfortunate reality among adults. For children, the results can be even worse.<\/span><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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A young girl using a mobile phone<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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During adolescence, the <\/span>part of the brain that strives for these social rewards<\/span><\/a> develops at an accelerated rate. Kids suddenly start to crave relationships and an elevated social status. Normally, this would drive children to form solid friend groups and explore romantic relationships. But social media affords the chance to bypass real-life work to experience the rewards immediately.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, kids don\u2019t realise the changes within themselves; they\u2019re only reacting proportionally to their new, strong impulses. So when they open an app that \u201chits all the right buttons\u201d immediately, without the work and risk of real-world relationships, they naturally fall into regular use.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve established that these apps can be addictive to young minds. But why does social media so often lead to sexual exploitation?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Warped Expectations<\/span><\/h2>\n

It all comes down to <\/span>perception<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of the addictive influence of social media, it\u2019s easy for kids to start viewing reality through their screens. When they see a classmate or influencer enjoying a certain standard of living, they want to fit in.<\/span><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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One study found that when teenagers see large numbers of \u201clikes\u201d on their photos, their brains react in the same way as when eating chocolate or winning money<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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Remember, social media platforms make it easy to substitute real connections with artificial ones; this isn\u2019t the same as reading <\/span>about <\/span><\/i>a rich mogul\u2019s daughter in the newspaper\u2014despite socio-economic disparities or geographical distance, children have been conditioned to view these influencers as their peers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of the changes occurring in the adolescent brain, kids are <\/span>driven<\/span><\/i> to seek conformity and acceptance from their peers. And when those \u201cfriends\u201d casually promote a higher standard of living, they naturally want the same.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In some areas, it doesn\u2019t take much.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt could be something as small as Starbucks,\u201d Bruce, one of Destiny Rescue’s (an organisation whose rescue work in Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines Child Rescue helps fund) agents in the Philippines, said. \u201cOr just having a McDonald’s burger every few days\u2014that really gets them going, \u2018I want that.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But many of these kids live in a household where buying a Starbucks coffee, even once a week, would take a significant chunk out of the family budget. With both parents working hard to make ends meet, children learn quickly not to ask for luxuries. So they start looking for other avenues to earn money.<\/span><\/p>\n

Deceptive solutions<\/span><\/h2>\n

Bruce says this is where a second aspect of social media comes into play. Kids naturally talk with their friends, often expressing their desires and frustrations online. Unfortunately, some of those friends know a way to make fast money.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn our field, it\u2019s just hanging out with the wrong crowd. It\u2019s those Facebook \u2018friends\u2019 that invite their friends to \u2018go walking,\u2019\u201d Bruce said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In many parts of the world, \u201cwalking\u201d has long been code for being available for sex.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Although named \u201cWalking Street\u201d because it is a pedestrian-only street at night,  Walking Street is a famous street among Thailand\u2019s red-light districts<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
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The idea that sex is a legitimate means of making money is a third way social media fuels this warped worldview.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The online acceptance of a \u201csugar daddy\u201d mentality helps normalise the practice. Children often don\u2019t feel like anything \u201cwrong\u201d is going on; this is just an easy way to get that Starbucks or McDonald’s burger to post on social media and elevate their social standing.<\/span><\/p>\n

While Destiny Rescue has certainly rescued children who fell into exploitation in the pursuit of a noble cause, such as buying a parent\u2019s medicine or putting a sibling through school, they\u2019ve also rescued plenty of children driven into exploitation by social media in the ways we just mentioned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bruce chalks it up to normal developmental changes combined with heavy online influences. \u201c[The average Filipino victim is just] being a teenager and wanting things,\u201d Bruce said. \u201cWanting things impatiently.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The hashtag \u201csugarbaby\u201d has over two billion views on the popular platform TikTok, leading to \u201chow to\u201d videos that groom young minds for exploitation<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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There\u2019s no real trafficker here, no evil crime ring or nefarious villain. It\u2019s just one victim leading another into an area where twisted men have more money than morals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rescue is the first step in changing that worldview. Every child Destiny Rescue rescues gets a chance to see life differently, to break free of the narrative that they need to sell themselves for money.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As more kids see a true path to freedom, they can slowly start changing the warped culture that drove their exploitation in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Would you be a part of that change? Your gift can help rescue a child from the empty struggle for validation through exploitation. Fill out the form below to rescue a child today.<\/span><\/h5>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n