Human trafficking can take many forms, and social media has created new ways for traffickers to connect with and target children.
Daisy Gonzalez, an Orcutt resident and mother of five, says there are two among her biggest concerns.
Social media, that’s my big one, and video games. They can do it through video games, so you don’t know who’s on the other side of the TV, Gonzalez said.
Maria Barriga with the California Highway Patrol’s Santa Maria office says officers have observed an increase in human trafficking in the area, particularly involving young people.
According to Megan Riker, director of the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office Victim-Witness Assistance Program, 28% of identified human trafficking survivors between 2017 and 2025 were 17 years old or younger, while 38% were Santa Barbara County residents.
During that period, the county recorded 294 human trafficking investigations and identified 102 potential traffickers. Fifty-nine people were criminally charged with human trafficking, pimping, or pandering, with 39 pleading guilty.
Barriga says the risks are not limited to in-person interactions. Traffickers can use online platforms to connect with children and build relationships.
Any platform where you can communicate with others, our youth are at risk. Whether they’re chatting with kids on social media or gaming, anywhere where you can have access to communicating with someone you don’t know puts you at risk, Barriga said.
For Zach Way, a Santa Maria resident whose child is approaching the teenage years, the possibility of human trafficking is concerning. He says he wants to better understand how traffickers approach children and gain their trust.
Where does it happen? How does it start? I’m sure they probably try to earn the trust of the kids through something unrelated, Way said.
Sabrina Ross, associate director of the North County Rape Crisis and Child Protection Center, says traffickers may use different approaches to identify and groom young people.
Ross says traffickers may pose as photographers, directors, producers, or model scouts to build trust with children online. Recruitment can also happen through gaming communities.
Ross says the center has worked with survivors as young as 12 to 14 who have experienced trafficking and grooming. She also says trafficking can occur among people experiencing homelessness, a population that may face additional vulnerabilities.
Barriga says parental awareness is important.
As parents, we really should know who our kids are talking to, what platforms they’re using. We should know their passwords, so that we can check in on them and make sure that they are making good choices online, Barriga said.
Barriga also encourages people to report suspicious activity and look for signs that someone may be experiencing human trafficking.
If you see somebody that is being controlled by someone else, they may not have their ID, they don’t have a way to pay for things. It could be a sign of human trafficking, Barriga said.
YouthWell and the Santa Barbara County Human Trafficking Task Force provide resources and information for families seeking to learn more about human trafficking, online safety, and available support services.