By Bethany Nicole
Los Angeles, California (The Hollywood Times) 04/26/2023
Roo Powell is an award-winning writer, child advocate, and founder of the non-profit SOSA (Safe from Online Sex Abuse). You may also recognize her from her hit show on ID and Discovery Plus Undercover Underage where she and her SOSA team, work in tandem with law enforcement to apprehend child predators by becoming the targets themselves.
In case you were wondering exactly how they do it, it’s actually pretty ingenious. The SOSA team creates fake kid and teen profiles on popular platforms using young-looking team members as the decoy. Then they simply sit and wait. Within just a few hours, they are inundated with hits from child predators looking to engage. The team pursues the offenders’ gathering hours of video, email, and text conversations to use as evidence. Then when the offender tries to meet up with the SOSA team, thinking they are the young girl or teen, the sting is set.
With law enforcement’s help, SOSA reels in and captures the offenders. The process is so streamlined that the show has one of the highest conviction rates of its kind, with season one resulting in four convictions. The show is a wild ride, and we are so excited about Season 2’s May 1st premier, that we just had to get all the details.
The Hollywood Times Exclusive Interview with Roo Powell
We had the pleasure of sitting down with Roo in a Hollywood Times exclusive interview and we just had to ask– How did she get started in this? Roo explains that the idea behind SOSA came from her own experience as a parent. She discusses how her generation is facing all new parental dilemmas around smartphones, computers, and internet safety. Sexual predators are not just out on the street, they are in the living rooms, bedrooms, and homes of kids and teens, through devices.
So true. With that in mind, we wondered what advice would Roo give parents about internet safety for their kids and teens? Roo explains one of the most frequent questions she is asked is “What is the worst app?”
She explains there really is no “worst app” and that they all have the potential to be a portal for sexual predators. She elaborates that predators are going to go where children are, so even if that is a coloring book app or platform, or something seemingly innocuous, to a child predator it might not be. So, she explains that it’s important to try apps out with kids and educate them on the potential dangers and warning signs. Open communication is key, she explains, not punishing the victim, and helping kids understand if they are approached online by a predator that it’s not their fault.
She explains parents can also help kids learn to work with the algorithms of some of the apps, for example, TikTok has a “Not interested” button that kids can hit for videos they don’t like, which teaches the algorithm not to show them to this type of video anymore, so the number of similar videos popping up on the feed, naturally decrease. Some apps also provide filters and safety features, so it’s important for kids and parents to learn as much about individual apps as possible to utilize these features effectively.
She also elaborates that teaching children to trust their gut is one of the most important things a parent can do. She encourages kids to follow their feelings, especially if something feels off. If something makes them uncomfortable, doesn’t feel right, or just isn’t adding up, they need to trust that.
Another great way to get informed is simply tuning into the show as it is an excellent resource for parents and teens (or anyone.) It is a great real-life demonstration of the type of language often used by predators and their typical engagement methods. It shows red flags, what to look out for, and things that can be done if a predator is identified. It is an essential resource in keeping kids safe by helping them, and their guardians, realize what is out there and how to protect themselves from it.
How To Get Involved
We also asked Roo for advice for the viewers and readers that perhaps don’t have children at home so they are not affected by the problem in that way, but still would like to get involved and contribute to the cause. Roo explains there are many ways the individual can get involved.
Roo reveals that the age of consent in some states is still alarmingly low. Also, the laws surrounding prosecution for online sex crimes can also vary from state to state, so all of us becoming aware of how our state treats these crimes is essential in creating change. Lobbying to change the age of consent and encouraging politicians to implement legislation to help catch these online threats, is essential to keeping our kids, ourselves, and our future families safe.
She also says that simply being a trusted adult in a kid’s life can make a huge difference. Ensuring you are a safe space for a child or teen in your life to come to, can help prevent them from becoming victims and help them know what to do if something does happen. It takes a village as they say, and no kid or teen can have too many trusted adults in their life. So why not make one of them you?
The New Season of Undercover Underage
We also got the opportunity to take a sneak peek at the new season and believe us, it is one wild ride. The situations this group gets themselves into, you will just have to see to believe! Trust us, you will not want to miss out on this, so do yourself a favor, and tune into the new season which premiers May 1st on ID and Discovery Plus. New episodes drop on Mondays from 9/8c so tune in, get informed, and get ready because Roo Powell and SOSA do not play around when it comes to catching the bad guys.
You can follow Roo here:
Instagram: @roo_pow
Twitter: @roo_pow
SOSA:
Instagram: @sosatogether