KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Children are being exploited in Tennessee at an alarming rate, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The state is seeing record-high numbers, with three reported cases in the last 48 hours.
“I don’t see the numbers retreating any time soon,” Andrew Boatman, Commander of the Tennessee Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, said. “As long as people have more access to technology and more ability to exploit that, they’re going to do so.”
One month ago, the TBI released data that showed a 140% increase in child exploitation cases in Tennessee. This is essentially the abuse of a child for another person’s gain — whether that is through encouragement or enticement to commit criminal or sexual activities. Boatman attributes that increase to social media…