JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Thousands more students in Northeast Florida are completing their school year online with virtual schooling, and as more students are logging on, the FBI is warning the public about potential dangers on the internet.
St. Johns, Putnam, and Nassau county school districts began online classes Monday, and Duval and Union counties started online learning March 23. All Florida school districts were ordered to close schools in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“Our kids are just spending a lot more time online and unfortunately, the child predators out there know that as well. So they’re spending more time kind of trolling for children, trying to groom children online,” FBI Special Agent Robert Schwinger said.
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Schwinger is a member of the FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Squad in Jacksonville. He did not report on an increase in cases involving online predators. However, he did tell Action News Jax reporter Elizabeth Pace that children are at a higher risk to come in contact with a predator during quarantine.
“The message we try to get out is the same as always; be aware of what your children are doing online, what apps they have on their devices, how much time they’re spending online, who they’re talking to,” Schwinger said.
He said the websites that are typically the most dangerous are the ones that appear most innocent. Schwinger did not mention a specific website or app, but said they have found predators on gaming apps.
“Check those apps, look for the chat feature,” Schwinger said. “A lot of those you can turn that off so they can just play the game and not chat. ... Sometimes these people will be in the chatroom saying, ‘Hey I’ll send you this much in currency if you do something for me.’ So that’s something you really have to worry about.”
He encourages parents to have a conversation with their child about these websites and apps. If they chat with a stranger, encourage them to contact a parent before responding.
Anyone who needs to report a possible threat is asked to contact local law enforcement or a local FBI office. Submit a tip online here: tips.fbi.gov.
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