Internet crimes against children is a prevalent, ongoing issue; both nationally and internationally. In 2025, the Henrico County Police Division received 964 ICAC CyberTips. Between January and March 2026, Henrico Police has received nearly 200 CyberTips. In 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received over 20 million CyberTips related to suspected child sexual exploitation.
Behind the Screen
In April 2026, Henrico Police’s Special Victims Unit (SVU) launched its “Behind the Screen” initiative focused on providing information to parents, guardians and caregivers to protect children in a digital world.
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Why this matters
- Children today are growing up in a digital world – they are spending more time online for school, gaming, streaming, and social media.
- Many incidents begin with seemingly harmless friend request or conversation on games, social media or messaging platforms.
- Offenders increasingly use the internet to target youth.
- Knowledge is power – education play a critical role in prevention.
Definitions
- Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM): Any visual or digital content that depicts the sexual abuse or exploitation of a minor. This can include photos, videos, or other media showing a child engaged in sexual activity or being exploited for sexual purposes.
- This includes AI generated images depicting children.
- Online Enticement: When an adult uses the internet, social media, messaging apps, or online games to communicate with a minor to persuade, pressure, or coerce them into sexual activity or the sharing of explicit images.
- Sextortion: Form of child sexual exploitation where children are threatened or blackmailed, most often with the possibility of sharing with the public a nude or sexual images of them, by a person who demands additional sexual content, sexual activity or money from the child.
Resources
There are a number of resources available in Henrico County and nationally to address internet crimes against children. If you know of a child who is being exploited, please call Henrico Police at (804) 501-5000 or 911 in an emergency. You may also submit online tips to the following agencies:
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
- Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
- Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program
Additionally, NCMEC provides a number of resources via its NetSmartz educational program. NetSmartz provides age-appropriate videos and activities to help teach children be safer online with the goal of helping children to become more aware of potential online risks and empowering them to help prevent victimization by making safer choices on- and offline.
In the event you know of someone who has shared sexually explicit photos/videos NCMEC has a service focused on removing those images from the internet via “Take It Down.” You can remain anonymous while using the service and you won’t have to send your images or videos to anyone. Take It Down will work on public or unencrypted online platforms that have agreed to participate.
The Henrico County Police Division created an information sheet outlining the steps parents, guardian and caregivers should take if their child has been exploited or sextorted.