Alex Hoffman's Chilling Warning to Parents: Why You Should Never Post Pictures of Your Kids Online
Key Highlights :
In the age of social media, it's easy to forget about the potential dangers of posting pictures of your children online. Alex Hoffman, 24, went viral on TikTok after revealing what she learned while working for the government investigating internet sex crimes against children. As a former government worker, Hoffman used her platform to issue a chilling warning to parents about why they should never post pictures of their kids online.
Hoffman alleged that she used to work in child exploitation investigation and her video was viewed more than 7.9 million times and received thousands of comments in one day. She revealed that a majority of photos uploaded of children to the dark web are taken from normal people's Facebook and Instagram pages. She also warned that if you see a suggested person on your Facebook page that you have no mutual friends with, it means that they searched your profile at least three times.
Hoffman explained that the dark web is not some mysterious and exclusive place and that all you have to do is download a browser to access hidden internet sites. She noted that child exploitation is a billion-dollar industry and there are thousands of websites being created every single day to share photos and videos. Her advice to parents is to really limit their child's presence on social media because photos and videos can be warped and placed on the dark web extremely easily.
Hoffman added that having private social media pages is a step in the right direction, but it doesn't guarantee your pictures won't be taken without your knowledge. She further noted that a lot of photos of children that are put on the dark web are not explicit and that even normal photos of children can be warped into images that are explicit. She said that she has seen cases where parents had no idea that their child was on the dark web. Additionally, Hoffman warned that there will be children who go viral on the dark web for no reason and that there will be pages and websites and forums dedicated to just sending pictures of these children.
Hoffman's eye-opening video serves as a reminder to parents to be aware of the potential dangers of posting pictures of their children online. While having a private profile is a step in the right direction, it's important to be mindful of the content of the photos you post and to be aware that even normal photos of children can be warped into images that are explicit. Her warning serves as a reminder of the importance of keeping your children safe online and why it's best to limit their presence on social media.
