National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

The school year is just getting started, and online safety conversations should be, too. Stay up to date on the latest online safety tips, trends, and resources. Sign up for the NetSmartz newsletter to help keep kids safer online: https://lnkd.in/eWnD7dvV  

For 100 years, Route 66 has connected communities across America. As communities celebrate the iconic highway's centennial, NCMEC is asking travelers to go the extra mile and take a closer look at missing children from communities along or near Route 66. From Chicago to Santa Monica, a missing child could be recognized anywhere: a hotel, restaurant, gas station, or roadside attraction. Public awareness can help generate a tip that could bring new information or answers. The road may end in Santa Monica, but for these families, the search never does. Read more in our latest blog by Karen Daborowski about the children we're searching for and how you can help: https://lnkd.in/eJfvAYTh

25 years ago, Compaq Computer’s $1.5 million grant funded the rollout of NCMEC’s NetSmartz Workshop to nearly 3,000 Boys & Girls Clubs of America across the United States. The program was pilot-tested in September 2001 and officially launched nationwide in 2002. NCMEC and BGCA co-developed the program to combat growing online risks for youth. The original program relied on 3D animations and interactive CD-ROM activities. It taught critical digital safety through three age-specific groups: * Clicky’s Web World (Ages 6–7) * NetSmartz Rules (Ages 8–12) * I-360 (Ages 13–18) In 2001, NCMEC co-founder, John Walsh on how essential it was to keep kids safer online as it was offline: "When my son Adam was abducted, the Internet didn't exist. Parents today have the added concern of keeping an eye on their children on the way to school, in their neighborhoods & in online. The NetSmartz Workshop can help them do that in ways that will be readily accepted by this tech-savvy generation of kids because the safety messages don't speak down to them." John Walsh, February 21, 2001 President Joe Biden, whose efforts on Capitol Hill as a U.S. Senator in 2001 helped secure the initial funding for NetSmartz. “We know all we need to know about the adults who prey on children in Cyberspace. I’m confident that this innovative new program will teach our kids how to avoid situations that put them most at risk.” Today, NetSmartz continues to serve as a cornerstone resource for youth online safety with free resources for all ages including, Into the Cloud™, NCMEC’s flagship online safety resource for children ages 11 and under. https://lnkd.in/eRNpYukv

The back-to-school checklist is almost complete. One more thing: online safety. NCMEC’s free resources can help families, caregivers, and educators prepare kids for a safer school year, online and off. Get started at https://lnkd.in/efErYqFM.

NCMEC is hiring a Records Custodian, someone who'll become our subject-matter expert on CyberTipline and CVIP, speaking for NCMEC in courtrooms and other high-stakes settings. Can you explain something complicated to a jury and not blink? Stay steady when someone's trying to rattle you? That's the heart of this role. We're looking for someone who's already been in the fire: courtrooms, law enforcement, investigations, or something with similarly high stakes. Apply today: https://lnkd.in/ew9t6v4i

Freeform’s new true crime series, “Somebody Knows Something,” now streaming on Hulu, takes a closer look at unsolved cases and the families who have spent years searching for answers. Hosted by Kara Robinson Chamberlain, a former law enforcement officer, trained victim advocate, and survivor of her own abduction in 2002, the series highlights cases that may be closer to being solved than they appear. The series begins with the cases of two missing children: Sabrina Aisenberg, who disappeared from her Florida home in 1997 at just 5 months old, and Lashaya Stine, who disappeared from Aurora, Colorado, in 2016 at age 16. Learn more about the series in our latest blog by Emma Vaughan and the cases featured: https://lnkd.in/eqrv3ewK

Many parents and guardians have never heard of AI-powered "nudify" apps. Unfortunately, many kids have. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e8rmK_56 Blog by Emma Vaughan

JOB ALERT: NCMEC is hiring! We’re looking for a Resource Specialist to join our Child Sex Trafficking Recovery Services Team. In this role, you’ll support and coach child welfare professionals and multidisciplinary teams working with children missing from care who are likely victims of child sex trafficking. This position is FULLY REMOTE and open to candidates living in, or willing to relocate to, FL, GA, AL, MS, TN, SC, NC, KY or WV. Please share with someone who might be a great fit! Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/eujY-zgc

2026 FIFA World Cup and the race to find missing children. Learn how NCMEC was supporting law enforcement to help recover missing children at-risk of being trafficked for sex during one of the world's largest sporting events. https://lnkd.in/eeqP3xfK

Help find missing kids in your area with the #AdamProgram