From Classrooms to Chatrooms: FBI Jacksonville Tips for Staying Safe Online This Summer

With summer break beginning for schools across the region, FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley is urging families to stay vigilant and protect children from online predators and exploitation. Though technology continues to advance, there are steps that parents, educators, and children can take to be safe online.

Children often spend more time on the Internet during the summer through social media, gaming and messaging platforms. Offenders may exploit these spaces by posing as someone their age, gaining trust, and later using threats, fear or explicit content to exploit them. Shame and fear frequently prevent victims from reporting the abuse, making awareness and open communication critical.

“Online threats targeting children are increasing at an alarming rate, with crimes like sextortion, cyberbullying and online exploitation causing real-world harm,” said FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley. “As students spend more time online outside of the classroom, parents and guardians should remain engaged in their children’s digital activity and reinforce good online habits.”

Recent trends indicate a serious rise in cybercrimes targeting minors (17 years old or younger), driven by sextortion, cyberbullying, and online grooming. There are also numerous violent online networks that coerce children into engaging in self-harm, animal cruelty and suicidal acts on live stream, sometimes leading to the death of the victim. These networks, often referred to as 764, engage in criminal activity for sexual gratification, social status, a sense of belonging, or for a mix of other reasons. Victims are typically underage females between the ages of 10 and 17 years old, but anyone can be targeted. They often lack a stable support network and may suffer from mental health issues, such as depression, eating disorders, or suicidal ideation. They typically have unfettered access to the Internet, are disconnected, and believe they are communicating with someone their own age.

In 2025, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received more than 75,000 submissions regarding sextortion and referred more than 5,700 involving minors to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Florida had more than 600 sextortion complaints last year by people under the age of 20.

The following advice can help you keep your children safe.

If you become aware that your child may be a victim, do not attempt to take matters into your own hands and communicate with the predator. Immediately the local police, 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or FBI Jacksonville at 904-248-7000. As always, if you have been victimized by cyber fraud of any kind, file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center ( ic3.gov ). You can also find additional resources through NCMEC at missingkids.org/netsmartz/resources . Note: Please Catherine Coennen at [email protected] for any questions or interviews.