A YouTube prankster has become an unlikely spokesperson for teen online safety, but experts say online child luring is no trick.
Coby Persin, whose YouTube channel is known for prank videos with a touch of social commentary, tricked teenage girls he met online to meet him in person.
“What we found is something shocking and something everyone should see,” Persin says in the video, which has been viewed more than 33 million times.
Speaking to the Star, Persin said he posted an ad on Craigslist looking for parents willing to participate in his social experiment. With parental permission, he chatted with six different girls, but only three agreed to meet with him in real life.
According to digital literacy organization Media Smarts, online predators are a rare, but real threat. But the organization cautions against scaremongering, and emphasizes that predators who “trick” kids are far less common than more flagrant pedophiles.
“Research shows they rarely lie about their age or their motives. Their tactic is not one of deception but of seduction: they will shower a youth with attention, sympathy, affection and kindness, in order to persuade him or her that they love and understand them,” the organization cautions on their website.
A spokesperson for the RCMP would not comment directly on the video, but said internet-related child exploitation is a big concern and parents should be aware of their children’s online activity.
“Parents should talk with their children and be involved in every aspect of a child’s use of the Internet,” said Harold Pfleiderer, a spokesperson for RCMP, in a written statement.