{"id":3811,"date":"2023-06-14T13:18:44","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T18:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/?p=3811"},"modified":"2023-06-14T13:18:44","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T18:18:44","slug":"mother-of-three-host-of-discovery-series-pulls-back-curtain-on-harrowing-work-to-trap-predators-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/?p=3811","title":{"rendered":"Mother of Three, Host of Discovery+ Series Pulls Back Curtain on Harrowing Work to Trap Predators Online"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20370%20247'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image-65.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load wp-image-3812\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image-65.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3812\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image-65.png 1024w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image-65-300x178.png 300w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image-65-770x457.png 770w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image-65-293x174.png 293w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image-65-390x232.png 390w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cast in neon shadows, Roo Powell has become a master of deception \u2014 for good reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 40-year-old advocate for victims and survivors of sexual abuse is at the center of the Discovery+ series, \u201cUndercover Underage,\u201d now in its second season, and often poses as a minor or coaches others who work with her in how to look and act like preteens, all to lure \u201cACMs,\u201d or adults contacting minors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Viewers see Powell leading a lean team with the organization she founded, SOSA, an acronym for \u201cSafe from Online Sex Abuse.\u201d In the current season, she and her team are based in a rented home in Canadian County, Oklahoma, where they collaborate with the local sheriff\u2019s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Listen to the latest episode of CBN\u2019s Quick Start podcast \ud83d\udc47<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/quick-start\/embed?playlist_type=latest\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px; border: 0 none;\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe src=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/quick-start\/embed?playlist_type=latest\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px; border: 0 none;\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Powell coaches three adult decoys \u2014 12-year-old \u201cAbby,\u201d 14-year-old \u201cMackenzie,\u201d and 15-year-old \u201cSkylar\u201d \u2014 in outmaneuvering men, many of whom are married with children of their own, seeking sexual encounters with underage girls. The decoys, two of them professional actors, have their own faux bedrooms, awash in shades of pink and blue neon and decorated to match their tween personas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In these spaces, the decoys infantilize their voices, giggle innocently, and slouch in their beds as they log onto video calls with the men who believe they\u2019re preying on doe-eyed underage girls. Powell, just out of the camera\u2019s line of sight, leads the decoys as they document the incriminating and disturbing conversations, the contents of which are ultimately handed over to law enforcement officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The harrowing series showcases a stark reality: the internet is a veritable Wild West for children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Powell, a mother of three daughters, told CBN\u2019s Faithwire open lines of communication are critical in the internet age, particularly as predators become increasingly savvy in the ubiquitous world of social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe internet has permeated our daily lives and I allow my kids to have smartphones and very specific apps,\u201d Powell explained. \u201cWhat I would say to parents is that it\u2019s really important to have open lines of communication with your kids \u2014&nbsp;just regular conversations about it, not a one-and-done thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI talk to my daughters regularly about online safety,\u201d she continued. \u201cAnd I think it\u2019s also really important for parents to build the kind of relationship where kids can come to them when they get in trouble, because what happens online is abuse and I think it\u2019s really easy for parents to react in a way that feels punitive [to the child] \u2026 when, realistically, it\u2019s not about being a good kid or being a smart kid; it\u2019s about being a kid online, and they\u2019re faced with these people that are master manipulators. They know what they\u2019re doing; they are seasoned predators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While kids are certainly ill-equipped to defend themselves against these perpetrators, Powell and her team \u2014 working in tandem with Det. Adam Flowers and the Internet Crimes Against Children unit of the Canadian County Sheriff\u2019s Office \u2014&nbsp;are agile and able to dupe those seeking to victimize children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SOSA, while small, has technological capabilities and a fine-tuned method that, as viewers see in season two, supplements what the ICAC unit is not yet able to do on its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWorking with them was great,\u201d Powell said of partnering with the sheriff\u2019s office. \u201cAs you see in the show, I\u2019m also riding along for the arrests, because, sometimes, these perpetrators need to see a kid, a decoy, in order for them to approach. Obviously, I\u2019m 40, and I\u2019m not a teenager, but we do a lot of photo editing and, when it comes down to a takedown, they just need to be able to see me from a far enough distance to go, \u2018Oh yeah, that\u2019s her,\u2019 so they can come and get arrested.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The work, though rewarding, comes with its own risks, including a psychological toll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" title=\"30-Year-Old Man Sends Creepy Messages to 12-Year-Old Decoy | Undercover Underage | ID\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JQX42lg-HoI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><noscript><iframe title=\"30-Year-Old Man Sends Creepy Messages to 12-Year-Old Decoy | Undercover Underage | ID\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JQX42lg-HoI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As disturbing as the content depicted on \u201cUndercover Underage\u201d is, Powell pointed out the fact that what viewers are seeing has been edited to comply with a TV-14 rating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe stuff that we see day-to-day can be horrific and graphic,\u201d she said. \u201cWe intentionally made the show TV-14 because we hope that some parents watch it with their teens in order to broach topics about online safety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think it\u2019s really important to support each other,\u201d Powell continued, referring to how she and her team deal with the emotional trauma that often accompanies these sting operations. \u201cWhenever a decoy\u2019s on a call, I\u2019m sitting right next to her. We do a lot of checking in, a lot of, \u2018You can bail at any point,\u2019 and that\u2019s really important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, she said, decoys and SOSA staff members have their own coping mechanisms, noting some turn to prayer and meditation to process the dark and difficult work they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cKnowing that it\u2019s us receiving this and not actual children and knowing that we can move the needle \u2014&nbsp;knowing that arrests can be made and these perpetrators are stopped in their tracks \u2014 knowing the score is kind of enough,\u201d Powell said. \u201cThat\u2019s really what keeps us going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She is also heartened, she added, by the number of people who reach out to tell her they were victimized as children but didn\u2019t know until they saw her series that the abuse they endured was not their fault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTo know that the show also provides healing in some way, or allows people to know they\u2019re not alone, I think is really valuable,\u201d Powell explained. \u201cSo anytime things get really tough, we remember the good that comes from this, and that always helps.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Powell acknowledged she and her team don\u2019t have the psychological or physical bandwidth to commit all their time and energy to decoy sprints all year long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the cameras aren\u2019t rolling, the SOSA team also does advocacy work on Capitol Hill, pushing for legislation to protect children from online abuse. They also speak to groups in schools and churches and provide much-needed resources to survivors of sexual abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf I had to pretend to be a 14-year-old girl every single day for 16 hours a day, none of us would be good to anyone,\u201d Powell said. \u201cI think we would stop very soon; it\u2019s really important to pace ourselves. But knowing that we\u2019re able to help law enforcement \u2026 that\u2019s a big win for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ultimately, she continued, it\u2019s \u201coverwhelming\u201d to think about the potential abuse they are thwarting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTo be able to be a part of stopping that is an honor,\u201d she said, \u201cand we\u2019re really grateful for the opportunity to share in that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can catch new episodes of \u201cUndercover Underage\u201d on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Investigation Discovery, and stream the show on Discovery+ and Max.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Original Article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.faithwire.com\/2023\/06\/13\/mother-of-three-host-of-discovery-series-pulls-back-curtain-on-harrowing-work-to-trap-predators-online\/\">https:\/\/www.faithwire.com\/2023\/06\/13\/mother-of-three-host-of-discovery-series-pulls-back-curtain-on-harrowing-work-to-trap-predators-online\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cast in neon shadows, Roo Powell has become a master of deception \u2014 for good reason. The 40-year-old advocate for victims and survivors of sexual abuse is at the center of the Discovery+ series, \u201cUndercover Underage,\u201d now in its second season, and often poses as a minor or coaches others who work with her in how to look and act like preteens, all to lure \u201cACMs,\u201d or adults contacting minors. Viewers see Powell leading a lean team with the organization [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-woke-agenda"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3811"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3811\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3813,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3811\/revisions\/3813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}