September 23, 2025
By Julianne Will
Back to school isn’t just pencils and books—it’s desktops and laptops. For students, parents and teachers, it’s the perfect time to talk about internet safety and how to spot signs of exploitation.
Human traffickers use false promises of jobs, love or opportunity to target young people. They reach kids not just through social media but also through online games. They pretend to be other students or authority figures, and their techniques are more sophisticated and persuasive every day.
But awareness is a powerful tool. By learning the red flags and sharing resources, schools, students and families can help stop trafficking before it starts.
Classroom and Community Resources
DHS Blue Campaign — Stock up on free awareness posters, cards and toolkits designed for young people and adults, offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They identify and clarify trafficking circumstances and provide a way to seek help. The resources are easy to download. Print them and give them to your kids, pass them out or hang them in your school.
NEA Guide — The National Education Association has written a practical overview of how schools and educators can combat human trafficking. The NEA has also created a toolkit of resources and organizations that educators can use to help combat human trafficking and identify the signs of exploitation in their communities.
National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments — The NCSSLE has pulled together prevention strategies, webinars and guides for K–12 staff and parents, such as these:
- How Schools Can Start a Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Program
- How to Talk with Youth About Human Trafficking and Exploitation
- Child Exploitation: Prevent, Identify and Respond to Child Exploitation
- Human Trafficking Webinar Series
- Human Trafficking in America’s Schools: How Schools Can Combat Human Trafficking in Partnership With People With Lived Experience
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children — The NCMEC has seen a dramatic rise in reported cases of sextortion from children and teens (both boys and girls). Discover resources for both parents and young people on their site, including:
- Healthy Relationships
- I Am a Survivor of Sextortion
- It’s Called Sextortion
Interactive Learning
Internet Safety Simulation — The internet is an inescapable part of education; at the same time, it’s one of traffickers’ strongest tools. LifeWay Network’s Internet Safety and Human Trafficking Simulation is an important interactive exercise that will help you learn to spot sex and labor trafficking attempts online and provide practical guidance on how to handle suspected instances as well as protect yourself and your loved ones.
Student Club Activity Guide — If you are or know someone who is a dynamic and caring young person, check out LifeWay Network’s Student Club Activity Guide. There are myriad ways that youth — and adults — can make a difference, alone or as a group, in the fight against human trafficking. Because there’s never a wrong age to change the world for good.
Know the Red Flags
Human Trafficking Red Flags Downloadable – Can you spot the signs of human trafficking? This quick reference identifies some of the most common situations tied to labor and sex trafficking. Learn more and take action.
Who, What, Where Downloadable – This heinous, exploitative and life-disrupting crime often happens closer to home than we realize. Download this broad overview of the people affected and the ways it happens.
Find these and more at lifewaynetwork.org/resources.
How Families and Schools Can Take Action
Start conversations early — Kids are never too young to learn about online safety. This video from ChildHelp speaks to the littlest students.
Encourage ethical choices — Teens can make a difference! Taking a stand by voting with your wallets, influencing your families and peers to shop thoughtfully while thinking about how lives are affected on the other side of your products. The Ethical Consumption Guide for Teens explains Fair Trade and ethically sourced products.
Bring the lesson to your school — If you’re in the New York City area, LifeWay Network offers student presentations on recognizing and preventing trafficking. Simply click on the button at the top of our home page at LifeWayNetwork.org, and our director of education will reach out to discuss your needs and plan a time.
You Can Be the Difference
Trafficking can happen in any community — but awareness saves lives. Share these resources with teachers, coaches, youth leaders and parents in your network. Together, we can keep young people safe, informed and empowered.