Behind The Mike Podcast
Behind The Mike Podcast is a Christ-centered show where host Mike Stone dives deep into inspiring stories and profound insights from guests who view life through a biblical lens. Each episode offers hope, encouragement and wisdom to help you navigate life's challenges with faith and purpose.
Tune in for conversations that uplift your spirit and strengthen your walk with Christ.
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Behind The Mike Podcast
The Real Dangers of Online Predators and Sexting with John DiGirolamo
📚 Get John’s book It’s Not About the Devil:
https://bit.ly/3YkRksz
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children:
https://www.missingkids.org/home
National Center on Sexual Exploitation:
https://endsexualexploitation.org/
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In this episode of Behind The Mike Podcast, host Mike Stone welcomes back author and advocate John DiGirolamo to dive deep into the dangers of online predators and the growing issue of teen sexting.
Drawing from real-life stories featured in John’s latest book, "It's Not About the Devil", this episode explores the alarming tactics predators use to exploit vulnerable teens and the devastating impact it has on their lives.
Learn how David Gomez, a middle school officer’s shocking discovery of teen sexting opened the door to a larger, more sinister problem involving online predators. John discusses the real risks, the psychological impact on teens, and why every parent needs to be aware of how quickly predators can strike—even within 24 hours.
John’s new book tackles critical issues like human trafficking, online exploitation, and spiritual warfare, focusing on three powerful true stories: an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl, an abortion doctor turned pro-life advocate, and an insider’s look at exorcisms.
Don’t miss this eye-opening conversation about the real-world tactics of predators, the influence of media on our teens, and what parents can do to protect their children in today’s digital world.
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KEY TOPICS:
⚠️ The dangerous rise of teen sexting and its emotional consequences
🎯 How online predators target teens within 24 hours
đź‘®. Insights from an undercover officer who posed as a 13-year-old girl
ℹ️ Why it’s crucial for parents to stay informed and involved
📚. John’s latest book and its exploration of evil in today’s society
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đź”” Subscribe for more episodes on faith, family, and protecting our youth.
đź‘Ť Like, share, and comment if you found this episode helpful!
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TIMESTAMPED CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Introduction and Welcome Back
00:44 - John's New Book
02:12 - Focus on Online Predators
04:06 - Evil in Society
05:22 - Dramatized Nonfiction Stories
07:15 - Profile of a School Resource Officer
10:21 - Why Sexting is Dangerous
11:20 - Parents' Misconceptions
13:03 - Sextortion and Online Predators
15:24 - Real-Life Case Examples
16:12 - Expanding the Scope: Beyond Local Schools
I'm back with John DiGirolamo, and we had him on the show not too long ago. If you haven't heard this episode, I want you to look this one up. It's called Protecting Teens from Human Trafficking and it's John's fight against child exploitation Really good stuff. This has become a rampant thing in our country. We've been hearing more and more about it online and on the news, but we're going to continue a little bit along those lines and then we're going to jump into another topic totally. So this is going to be a three-part series with John, because he's got a new book out that was released a few months ago and it touches on all of these things. So we're going to hit this hard. We're going to glean from John. John, welcome back to the show. We thank you for coming back on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks for having me. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely so. Your new book we'll briefly touch on it and, again, I'm going to put this preface at the beginning. This is not a book review. I found John a while back and I loved the research that he's doing on some of these topics. And this book I'll let you talk about it, john, but this book really hits on three topics that I think are so incredibly important in our society today. So, john, I'll let you talk about the book. Tell us who you are, for those who don't know, and what you're doing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I'm an author of four books and I've kind of got a theme going where I'm looking to tell stories of what's going on in our society and I've kind of focused on difficult topics human trafficking, online exploitation, et cetera, exploitation etc. And uh and so, uh, you know, my latest book it's not about the devil really talks about, you know, the ultimate predator, which is satan, and some of the evil going on in our society that is targeting vulnerable people. Um, and so it's all non-fiction, it where I'm interviewing real people there's case files, testimony etc. And I'm putting together plot lines, story, emotion, dialogue, action etc to reveal what's going on in these people's lives but also the broader picture of what's going on in our society, and doing that through storytelling. And so I call it dramatized nonfiction. I wanted to read like a fast-paced fiction novel, but it's all true, it's all real stuff.
Speaker 2:So you know, the devil is busy in our modern society and his greatest trick is to convince us that he doesn't exist. And I think a lot of people have kind of fallen into that thought process in our secular, growing secular world. So I focused on three people. I focused on a police officer who goes undercover online as a 13-year-old girl and every parent needs to know what happens and how these predators are operating. The second story is about an abortion doctor who becomes a pro-life advocate and it's a decades-long journey and how that happens and how she sees the value of the unborn, and then the insider's view to what goes on in an exorcism. I interviewed the guy who co-wrote the training manual for exorcists so I really got the inside scoop. So really three different stories, but they're tied together by kind of the predatory practices of people and of really, you know, evil behavior.
Speaker 1:Boy, that's really good, and that's exactly why I invited you back is because the enemy is real. Satan is real, yeah, and he masquerades as an angel of light. We read through Scripture quite a bit about Satan and his practices. We're supposed to be wise as serpent and gentle as doves. We want to bring that wisdom that you've gleaned from these stories to those who are watching and listening, because it's so important to understand the enemy's tactics, because if we don't, we're going to fall for them. Yeah, we're going to fall for them, yeah, and I think that's really what's happened to our society today is years ago, I think we were more sensitive to things that were considered bad, and now it's almost like we praise those who are creating their own truth. And I think it's important what you have to say about each of these topics. So that's really what our podcasts, our next three episodes, are going to be this one we'll talk about the online predators, and then we'll talk about the abortion doctor who experienced a shift in how she viewed that whole practice, and then it'll still be in time for Halloween of all times We'll talk about the exorcism stuff and what you've gleaned from that.
Speaker 1:So let's start off with today's episode Online Predators. Now, last time we talked about this a little bit. We talked about the trafficking and how that can work, but I want you to tell us what you learned from this online predator situation with the officer, and I got to read just a little bit of the book and it starts out with a, I believe, a 14-year-old girl who quote unquote innocently shared a topless picture with the boy. And then you brought in this SRO, this officer, who was in the schools and had to deal with that. So that's kind of set the stage. Let me have you tell us, then, what you got from this and tell us a little bit about the gentleman who is actually. These, again, are real stories. Tell us about the gentleman who's actually in law enforcement and was online posing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I was doing a lot of talks about human trafficking and I kept getting questions about the online piece of that, and I wanted to explore the broader picture, because there's a lot of predators out there online, but they may be doing other things besides trafficking and it's actually a bigger problem than trafficking in general. So I interviewed Officer David Gomez, who's a very well-known police officer, school resource officer who trains other law enforcement people, teens as well as parents. He's got a pretty large Facebook following and he gives tips on a regular basis, and so I wanted to profile his story, his life, how did he become an expert? And so it starts out with he's got this job in a middle school as a school resource officer, and he gets called to two kids fighting. Nothing really unusual about that except, to his surprise, it was because one of the teen girls had sent a topless photo to the other girl's boyfriend, and so it was causing a lot of drama, and what he discovered was that this was not a one-off. This was something that's happening in the middle school level as well as high school, and so the story starts out by kind of getting your attention of what's going on. What is going on with the teen brain at this time that makes them think that that's an okay thing to do.
Speaker 2:And so the story progresses of dealing with these two teens.
Speaker 2:You know the officer talks to parents who don't seem to be as involved or don't seem to be as disturbed by this as he was.
Speaker 2:And when he started investigating this he found out that many of these boys were asking pictures from multiple people and it just kind of blew up from there where it went, from these two people he investigated to it, landed up confiscating over 20 different teen phones that had explicit pictures and we're seeing teen sexting as a real, significant issue.
Speaker 2:I've talked to teachers, people on superintendents, school boards etc. And they all say every one of them from around the country that this is happening right under our nose around the country, that this is happening right under our nose and it starts at the middle school level and and so you know, for his story it developed into um, not just looking at that, but who else is out there asking for pictures besides classmates? And it really kind of in his mind begged the questions why, where and how predators are operating, because a predator could also approach a teen and try to get explicit pictures. And once they do, then it's not just in a class, in a classmate type of situation, which is bad enough, but it gets worse because then you have no idea who's on the other side of that digital transaction, if you will, or the other side of that keyboard trying to get this teen's picture. And so we really kind of explore the why, where and how, and I think that's something that we should go into.
Speaker 1:Yeah for sure. Now you said something that is a bit shocking to me, and that is that the girl's parents didn't quite see the extreme. I guess extreme, I guess the shock of it all. My wife and I, we have now 20 and 21-year-old kids. They're in college age and back in middle school. This is something that we had discussions about because it was happening back then. This would have been seven, eight years ago. First of all, why is this so dangerous? I get it, but I also know there are parents out there who feel like you know it's going to happen. It's really not a big deal and I think you'll probably get into that. But what, initially, do you have to say to those parents that just feel like you know what they're? Just kids it's, you know, it's just a part of growing up in this digital age.
Speaker 2:Yeah, those parents are not looking out for their kids. You know we live in a parental generation that wants to be the friend and not be the parent. You can be the friend when your kid is 30. When they're 14, that is not the time to do that. But if you look at kind of the broader picture, you've got um, the media, celebrities et cetera, telling parents you can do this in a safe way. You can. You know, and I'm just here to tell you, there is no safe way for anyone, kid or adult, to send an explicit picture of themselves. You lose complete control over what happens next and we've heard of terms like revenge porn, where somebody sends a picture, they break up and then next thing you know they're being extorted for some other reason. The other piece of this is what is the media telling kids? Well, it's telling them the same thing you can do this in a safe way, send it to a trusted friend, etc. That just doesn't happen. So you've got this message telling kids one, you can do it safely and two, it's kind of no big deal. But the reality is is once a, a person sends that, they lose control and you look back at what, the why sorry, the why are predators doing doing this? Why do they want to exploit kids? Well, they're either looking to get pictures to get money or they want to meet for a physical encounter. So when it comes to sexting, there's ramifications that the teen brain is just not thinking of One. Those digital images last forever. A lot of times there's regret and shame, so they're going to many times have emotional issues, depression, self-harm, suicide etc. And it can lead to a lot of this cyberbullying, etc. But it becomes broader when it's not just a classmate, when it's somebody out there.
Speaker 2:And a great example of this is how predators target teen boys and there's a tactic, a very specific tactic that they use. I've talked to more than one police officer who have said that this tactic can happen in less than 24 hours. And so what is that tactic In practical terms? A teen boy will get approached online by a profile that's a very good looking, say college-age girl, and they're going to want to join their social network. Teen boy sees good-looking girl, you know, click sure, I'll accept that friendship follower, etc.
Speaker 2:All of a sudden, that teen boy starts getting unsolicited explicit pictures from this girl, many times that could be downloaded from a pornographic website. So this, this quote you know, hot girl is sending explicit pictures to the boy. Then she will say, well, I've shown you, now you show me. And pressures the teen boy to send pictures back to her. Many times they're tricked into this. They succumb, they will send these pictures and immediately they get extorted for money If they pay. Five minutes later they're asking for more money again and if they don't pay, they will threaten to send these pictures, these embarrassing pictures of this boy, to that person's social network, to their parents, their friends, their teachers, et cetera.
Speaker 2:This is a very real tactic, happens way too often. And now this boy is stuck. What does he do? He, his money is going to run out, probably real fast, and he, he's going to have, you know, a lot of mental anguish over this, and this is a real issue that we've seen. You know suicide attempts as well, as you know really taking one's own life because of this, and it can happen so fast and that's what parents don't understand.
Speaker 1:This can happen in less than 24 hours and and that's just a really, really disturbing trend that we're starting to see in our society today so I think you kind of expanded on the the general thought that it's just here within my community, it's just within my son or my daughter's school. You just blew that out of the water because I know that For those who listen and watch regular I work at Covenant Eyes my full-time job and so we see the statistics coming in all the time of the same thing that teen depression, teen suicide, the anxiety, all those things and they really are related to a lot of what you just talked about. Let's face it, john, if we would have had cell phones growing up, our lives would have looked a lot different than what they do now. Because generally and you know this is a generalization we all do things we wished we wouldn't have done when we were growing up.
Speaker 1:Heck, I still do them today, you know. But we, you can't take those things back. You know, when you say that stuff is on the Internet forever, it really is. It's stored somewhere, whether you want to believe it or not. Talk about those kids who know exactly what you're talking about because they've been there. Maybe they've just shared a photo, maybe they went through that extortion process, maybe they have been asked to meet up with someone because of those sexting photos.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:What do you say to those kids now that are kind of going yeah, I get it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean you can. Certainly, if you know where your picture has maybe been posted, you can try to scrub the internet of that it is. It is really difficult. There's different resources, such as, you know, the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children. They've got some resources to help parents not only have these discussions but also to you know what happens if, if the, if the horses are already out of the barn, so to speak. Yeah, but they really have to have those. They have to have those conversations with their parents, with a trusted adult. They can't do it alone.
Speaker 2:You know most parents are going to react with wanting to support their child and understand that they made a mistake. And how do you deal with it and move on from there? But until that kid has that discussion, they're really going to spiral downward and the predator is counting on that embarrassment they're counting on. Well, you showed me this. Now you've got to show me more putting that pressure on them, on that teen, and then it just gets worse and worse and they just can't. You know they just can't get out of that situation and so they've got to have those conversations. You know it could be something where, if they have been cyber bullied. You know there's definitely counseling available and things like that. But they have to know that there are resources, there's people that love them and they cannot solve this on their own. They've got to go to that trusted adult, their parents, etc.
Speaker 1:Yeah, such great advice, john. The child or the teen who's listening right now, who's in that situation. Listen, I've not been there. I've not had this happen to me, but I do know as an adult. I know John is, is is right on there's hope. It may be embarrassing, it may be humiliating, but you need to go get the resources that are available to you to help you out of the mess. So don't don't think this is you know, there's no end to this. The hard part is just confessing and reaching out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean now is the time, if you're in that situation, both for the parent and the child to lean on God, lean on Jesus, for that support, for knowing that it's not just your parents that love you. God loves you too. Now's the time to remind them all about that, that they're not in it alone and they've got a loving God who wants to help them get through this. And so it's an opportunity to kind of reiterate some of those biblical values.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, John. You brought up one resource for parents who are listening, you know go to a pastor, a trusted spiritual advisor, counselor. There's counseling out there that can help and there's also organizations out there who are fighting this stuff daily, who know how to help you get through this.
Speaker 2:Organizations out there who are fighting this stuff daily, who know how to help you get through this. So, yeah, boy, it's a, it's a tough thing, but it's a reality in today's world and that has to happen often and early. You can't just have it when they're 15 and be done with it. You've got to start out with having these conversations about predators, about being safe online and honestly delaying their smartphone usage, their online activity, as much as possible. So you know there's things like dumb phones, which a lot of parents are using. There's parental control software which is guardrails but is definitely, you know, worth looking into for sure. And you know, if your kid has a smartphone, you've got to be diligent, you've got to be looking at that on a regular basis.
Speaker 2:And you know, probably the biggest tip is the predators are going to where the kids are. So if it's a young kid, they're going to. You know ABC, mouse, roblox, minecraft, fortnite, social media, instagram, snapchat and TikTok are the big three. Where they're, they're hanging out, and so the place to check is going to be those chat rooms, private messaging, et cetera. And just look at those conversations and you can kind of take a step back. You wouldn't let your 11-year-old wander the mall by herself. Why would you let her wander the internet by herself?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, exactly right. The predators are out there and they're coming to your kids. Your kids don't have to find them. They are basically in a really crude way. They're the bait and those predators are going to find them. So you, as a parent, have to take those precautions. Look, more and more apps now are coming out where they can hide stuff, so that even if you're looking at your kid's phone, there's all kinds of ways that they can hide those apps that John was just talking about the Roblox and the TikToks and all those things. But parents know what your kids are doing on their devices.
Speaker 1:I've talked to other people who are experts in this, saying don't let your child take their phone into their bedroom or into the bathroom. Make sure that they're in a public place or in the living room with the rest of the family. It's just too easy for them to get sucked into this. So, john, that's going to wrap up this episode. I'm going to give you last word, but I really think that this is so incredibly important for our parents and for those teens who are listening and those middle schoolers who are going. Man, I messed up. Listen, there's hope. John, I'm going to give you a final word, and then we'll move on next week to our next topic.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, you know, the, the, the, the kid may not be looking for trouble, but trouble is definitely looking for them and they just have to be aware of that. If, if they get a message or a friend request from someone they don't know, just you know, ignore it. Uh, the problem is a lot of teens. They want big following numbers, big friend numbers. There's a little bit of self-esteem of having a thousand friends and followers. I guarantee not all those thousand people are really your friend and caution and prudence is definitely the way to go and try to live at that time. Online they could be addicted. Even if there's not a predator, they could be just wasting a lot of time watching silly cat videos. That's not great to do either.
Speaker 1:Amen, Amen. Well, John, thank you for joining us. Parents and teens and middle schoolers who are watching, check out the links in the description in the show notes. We're going to have some great resources there for you to follow up on and listen. Just be diligent. The enemy is like a prowling lion seeking who he may devour. It's just getting too easy in today's society. So, John, thanks again for joining us and be with us next time as we talk about abortion.
Speaker 2:Yep, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Take care. God bless you.
