Sheriff: Be wary of juvenile exploitation

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has seen an increase of juveniles being exploited through the internet.  Although the county is not deemed a hot spot for sexual exploitation or child trafficking, it should be on every parent or guardian’s radar.

Unfortunately, sex trafficking is a rapidly growing business in our country and the state of Florida.  It is important to have age-appropriate conversations with children on why it is so important to not send or ask others for sexually explicit content.  Once something is shared, you no longer have control.

Just last November in Tallahassee, Operation Stolen Innocence led to 170 arrests for child sex trafficking. According to the Tallahassee Police Department, more than 100 were charged with felonies, including human trafficking, lewd and lascivious battery on a child under the age of 16, as well as, production and possession of child pornography.

Franklin County is roughly 72 miles from Tallahassee. As law enforcement, the sheriff’s office is committed to keeping your children safe from harm. Please use resources such as missingkids.org and justice.gov to learn more about internet safety.

If you have questions or concerns about child sex trafficking, please call the sheriff’s office at 850-670-8500.

This article originally appeared on The Apalachicola Times: Sheriff: Be wary of juvenile exploitation