Inside the violent world of online pedophile hunters
Streamers have their own version of To Catch a Predator... but is it actually helping?
Like many of you, I grew up watching To Catch a Predator with Chris Hansen. Now, streamers are making their own version… this time with a lot more violence against the alleged criminals. Since Elon Musk took over Twitter (I’m not calling it X), my feed has been flooded with so-called “pedophile hunters” beating up alleged pedophiles in Walmart parking lots, forcing some to compete in game shows, or engaging in insane stunts: one hunter had Akon sing his hit single Locked Up as someone was arrested behind him, live on stream.
(Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Others)
It’s sickening that, more than ten years after To Catch a Predator aired, adults are still trying to meet up with people they believe to be teenagers. But watching these vigilantes beat people up feels icky, too. And it raises the question: are these “online pedophile hunters” actually helping to protect children or are they just chasing virality?
To find out, I spoke with New York Times reporter Aric Toler, who has watched hundreds of these videos and went deep into the world of pedophile hunters. I also spoke to Stefan Turkheimer, VP of public policy at RAINN — focused on protecting children from predators online — about what real justice could, and should, look like for survivors.
Check out Aric's visual investigation on online pedophile hunters.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you are not alone. RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support in English and en Español. Call 800.656.HOPE (4673), chat at hotline.RAINN.org, or text "HOPE" to 64673.
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