By Shayla Papik –
The latest child exploitation is on Venmo.
“There were girls in her class at school, an all girls school, that had sugar daddies,” said Elizabeth Phillips, founder of No More Victims. “‘How are they finding the girls?’ I asked. And it was Venmo. I’m like, Venmo?”
Many parents assume the biggest online dangers for teens come from obvious places like social media or chat rooms. Now investigators warn that some payment apps and video games can become ways for predators to identify and exploit teens.
Venmo, usually used to pay friends back or cover small expenses, became a unexpected tool for predators.
When accounts are public, strangers can see transactions and learn details about a teen’s activities, from shopping trips to weekend outings. Based on those online patterns, they could learn about the kid and profile her.
Later, based on the profiling, they approach the kid. If she appears to be short of money, he can offer – for a nude pic. If he likes gaming and wishes he could buy his level up, the predator can offer to deposit gaming tokens in the kids’ account – in exchange for an illicit video.
Sometimes the predators build trust, grooming the adolescent. Then he offers a modeling job. Can you send a headshot? The relationship builds slowly. Eventually it gets to the kids sending porn, not realizing that it’s going to be plastered irrevocably all over the internet.
“Once it escalates, it can become sextortion,” Philips says.
Teens may be pressured to send explicit photos, which are then used to threaten or blackmail them. Many feel too embarrassed or scared to tell parents, allowing abuse to continue.
Platforms like Roblox, Minecraft, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat are common places predators try to contact kids.
Millions of children use these apps daily, which makes it easier for harmful individuals to hide in plain sight.
Exposure isn’t always direct; some children encounter sexually explicit content accidentally, such as when a child watching cartoons on YouTube had the next video automatically play as animated porn.
“Things keep evolving and you’ve got to keep up,” she says.
Technology changes fast, and predators adapt quickly. Experts warn that even everyday apps and games can be misused.
Parents are urged to stay aware, use privacy settings and maintain open conversations with their children. Awareness and communication remain essential for helping teens recognize warning signs and seek help before situations escalate.
Phillips’ brother had been groomed from age 7 and abused at a Christian camp. He committed suicide.
Related content: What do OnlyFans creators do after they quit? the desperately wicked amount of shares online of illicit kid pics, sex trafficking worldwide. Sources: Shawn Ryan podcast, others.
