The Arkansas State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is urging parents and caregivers to increase vigilance as National Internet Safety Month coincides with a period of heightened risk for young people online.
According to ASP, summer months and the beginning of the school year historically see the largest increases in online enticement cases, making this time especially critical for child safety awareness.
Recent data from the ICAC Task Force shows mixed trends in online exploitation cases. While some categories have declined, child sexual abuse material complaints increased 29.57% from 1,596 cases in 2025 to 2,068 in 2026. Suicide threats also rose 75%, from four cases to seven.
Other categories showed decreases, including online enticement pre-travel cases, which dropped 43.17% from 1,661 to 944 cases, and blackmail sextortion cases, which decreased slightly by 1.96%.
“While we’ve seen decreases in some categories, increases in others — especially child sexual abuse material complaints — show that the threat remains very real,” said Sgt. Corwin Battle, Commander of the Arkansas ICAC Task Force. “Awareness and early intervention are key to protecting children.”
The Task Force recommends parents educate children on artificial intelligence safety, review privacy settings regularly, enable multi-factor authentication, and report suspicious activity through appropriate channels.
Parents can register for a free webinar titled “Video Games and Your Child: Spotting Red Flags and Staying Safe Online” at this link.