Online Child Safety: Understanding Risks in Messaging Apps

Federal investigators and digital safety advocates warn that predators increasingly use popular social media platforms, including Snapchat, to groom minors by masking their identities through deceptive avatars and fabricated personal histories. These bad actors often exploit features like Bitmoji—customizable digital characters—to project a false sense of familiarity or age, according to reports from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

How Predators Use Digital Avatars for Grooming

Predators often employ “catfishing” tactics, where they create a fake persona to build trust with a victim. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, grooming is a systematic process where an offender builds an emotional connection with a child to lower their defenses.

By using features like Snapchat’s Bitmoji, an offender can curate an avatar that mimics the appearance of a teenager, such as choosing specific clothing, hairstyles, or accessories that align with current high school trends. This digital mask serves as a primary tool for deception, allowing adults to bypass the immediate suspicion a child might have if they were communicating with an older-looking profile. Security researchers at the Cybercrime Support Network note that these avatars are often paired with false narratives, such as claiming to attend a nearby school or sharing mutual interests, to establish a false sense of community.

The Role of Messaging App Features in Risk

While platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok offer privacy settings, experts emphasize that the ephemeral nature of these apps—where messages disappear after being viewed—can inadvertently aid illicit behavior.

* Disappearing Messages: This feature, intended for privacy, can make it difficult for parents or law enforcement to recover evidence of grooming or harassment.
* Location Sharing: Features like “Snap Map” allow users to see the precise location of their friends. If a child’s privacy settings are not configured correctly, strangers may be able to track their movements.
* Encrypted Communication: Many platforms have moved toward end-to-end encryption, which limits the ability of service providers to proactively scan for predatory patterns or explicit content.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), parents should prioritize “privacy by design,” which involves reviewing an app’s settings before a child begins using it to ensure location sharing is disabled and contact lists are restricted to verified friends.

What Steps Can Parents Take to Improve Digital Safety?

Securing a minor’s digital environment requires a combination of technical controls and open communication. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents establish a “family media plan” that outlines expectations for screen time and platform usage.

Technically, parents can mitigate risks by:
1. Restricting Friend Requests: Adjusting settings to ensure only people the child knows in real life can send messages or friend requests.
2. Disabling Location Services: Ensuring location-based features are turned off for all social media applications.
3. Regular Audits: Periodically reviewing the apps installed on a child’s device and checking their privacy configurations.

Distinguishing Between Platform Features and User Behavior

It is important to differentiate between a platform’s intent and how it is exploited. Tech companies often argue that features like avatars are designed to enhance user expression and accessibility. Conversely, child safety advocates, such as those at Thorn, argue that platforms bear a responsibility to implement “safety by design” features, such as preventing adults from direct-messaging minors they do not have a mutual connection with.

While platforms have introduced various safety tools—such as “Family Center” features on Snapchat and Meta—the burden of monitoring often remains with the user. Experts suggest that the most effective defense remains a combination of robust platform-side guardrails and proactive parental involvement in a child’s digital life.