NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The TBI has an important warning for parents to make sure you know what your children are doing online and on social media.
Over the past three months, the TBI has been working on a three-month long operation investigating child exploitation cases.
It's called Operation Protecting Tomorrow. They found 18 known child victims of sextortion in Tennessee and one in Alabama. The victims were between the ages of 11 and 17, but the TBI is still working to identify and find 22 more children who they know were also victimized.
Agents have arrested twelve men so far and say more arrests could be coming.
"Kids are using electronic devices and the internet more and more, and the predators know it. As a parent myself, I get it. It's hard enough to raise and protect our children in the real world, yet now we have to do the same in the digital world. We as parents need to know what apps our children are using and know what our kids are doing online," said TBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Rob Burghardt.
The TBI has more information on online dangers and sextortion on their website.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
