Child Safety Topics — Know the Warning Signs

Read This First

Almost Every Case Follows the Same Three Steps

The six topics below look different from the outside. Underneath, they run on the same pattern — and the pattern is easier to spot than the crime.

1

Access

They find a reason to be near the child — a role, a job, a game, a ride, a relationship with you.

2

Secrecy

Something small becomes "ours". A gift, a message, a favor. The secret is tested before anything else happens.

3

Isolation

The child is moved away from anyone who would notice — you, their friends, their school, their old routine.

The single most useful thing you can do is break step two. A child who believes they will not be punished for telling you a secret is a child who is much harder to exploit.

Four Things Most People Have Wrong

Myth

You have to wait 24 hours before reporting a missing child.

No. There is no waiting period anywhere in the United States. Call 911 immediately. The first hours matter more than all the hours after them.

Myth

It is usually a stranger.

Rarely. In most cases the person is already known and already trusted — family, a partner, a coach, a neighbor, someone online the child has "known" for months.

Myth

A child being exploited would run, or tell someone.

Usually not. They have often been made to feel responsible for what happened, or they are protecting someone. Many will defend the person harming them. That is a sign, not a contradiction.

Myth

Once an image is online, nothing can be done.

False. Images of a minor can be taken down, including ones already shared. Take It Down at takeitdown.ncmec.org is free and does not require sending the image to anyone.

The Six Warning Sign Lists

Read the signs here. Each topic also has its own page with a video and a full-size infographic.

Grooming

An adult slowly building trust with a child so they can abuse them later — and building it with the parents at the same time.

Warning Signs

Gifts, money, or a phone the child did not tell you about.
An adult who keeps creating reasons to be alone with your child — rides, errands, extra practice, overnight trips.
The child starts keeping small secrets that the adult framed as "ours".
That adult treats your child as more mature than their age, and says so out loud.

What To Do

Say to your child, without anger: "You will never be in trouble for telling me something an adult asked you to keep secret." Then keep saying it.

Full Page on Grooming

Online Exploitation

An adult using games, chats or DMs to reach a child directly — usually starting friendly, and moving to private apps quickly.

Warning Signs

A new online friend the child cannot explain how they met.
The screen changes fast when you walk in.
They move the conversation off the game and onto something private or disappearing.
Withdrawal, secrecy, or distress after being online — especially at night.

What To Do

Do not delete anything. Screenshots, usernames and messages are the evidence. Report to the CyberTipline and to your local police.

Full Page on Online Exploitation

Child Abduction

A child taken or kept by someone without the right to do so. Most often it is not a stranger — it is someone the child already knows.

Warning Signs

A family member or ex-partner who starts asking detailed questions about school routines, custody dates, or travel plans.
Passports, birth certificates or the child's papers go missing.
Someone stops following the custody order in small ways first.
A child mentions an adult telling them about a trip you knew nothing about.

What To Do

If a child is missing now: call 911 immediately. There is no waiting period. Then call 1-800-THE-LOST.

Full Page on Child Abduction

Child Trafficking

A child made to work or perform sex acts through force, fraud or pressure. For a minor and sex, no force is needed — it is trafficking either way.

Warning Signs

Money, clothes, nails or a phone that nobody paid for.
A much older "boyfriend", "girlfriend", or "manager".
Someone else holds their ID, or answers for them when they are spoken to.
Running away repeatedly, or coming back with injuries they will not explain.

What To Do

Do not confront the person controlling them — it puts the child at more risk. Call 1-800-THE-LOST, or text the trafficking hotline at 233733.

Full Page on Child Trafficking

Child Sexual Abuse Material

Any sexual image or video of a child. It is not "child porn" — a child cannot consent, so it is evidence of a crime being committed.

Warning Signs

A child is asked for a photo "just to prove" something, then asked for another.
Threats to send an image to family or classmates unless more are sent — this is sextortion, and it escalates fast.
Sudden panic, shame or talk of hurting themselves after being online.
An adult or older teen who wants photos of the child in private settings.

What To Do

Tell the child plainly that they are not in trouble. Report to the CyberTipline. Images can be removed — Take It Down at takeitdown.ncmec.org works even for images already shared.

Full Page on Child Sexual Abuse Material

Child Labor

Work that is illegal for a child's age, or that is dangerous, overnight, or interferes with their schooling.

Warning Signs

A teenager working late nights on school days, or long shifts they cannot refuse.
Work in meatpacking, roofing, commercial cleaning, or around powered machinery.
Wages paid to someone else, or "held" for them.
Exhaustion, injuries, or a sudden drop in school attendance.

What To Do

Report to the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243. Reports can be made without giving your name.

Full Page on Child Labor

See It All In One Place

Forms of Exploitation — The Full Visual Guide

All six topics side by side, with every infographic at full size. Click any image to enlarge it and read the detail.

Open the Visual Guide

If You Need to Act Now

Emergency

Emergency Services

911

A child in immediate danger. No waiting period.

Call Now

Call

National Missing Children Hotline

1-800-THE-LOST

1-800-843-5678 — 24/7 and confidential

Call Now

Search

Active Missing Children Cases

Reported missing children from every state, updated daily. Every share raises the chance a child comes home.

Important Disclaimer

This website is for informational purposes only and is not legal, medical or investigative advice. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local emergency number.