'I protect kids from online predators. There's one thing I wish every parent knew.'

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A 12-year-old sits alone in her bedroom, scrolling on her phone.

The messages from a stranger started out friendly and engaging, but they've begun to take a turn.

There's something "off" about them.

But she hasn't told her parents yet. It's the school holidays and everyone is just trying to enjoy the break.

Instead of speaking up, she shuts the door. Keeps the secret, because she feels embarrassed.

The messages keep coming.

Listen: The Quicky talks to a hunter for child predators. Post continues below.

Kristy Thomson, team leader of the online child safety team with the AFP-led Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), said scenarios like this are common during the school holidays.

"We normally see an increase (in predatory behaviour) over school holidays and that's normally because kids may be home, they might not be supervised as much, and they have a lot more access to devices," Thomson told Mamamia.

"It's something that can happen in a matter of minutes as well — grooming or sextortion doesn't always take days or months.

"Having those conversations so that your child knows that they can go to a parent or carer for help is so important.

"But that doesn't mean that it doesn't happen at any other times."

ACCCE takes a collaborative national approach to combating child abuse. Established in 2018, it brings together specialist expertise and skills in a central hub, supporting investigations into online child sexual exploitation and developing prevention strategies.

Thomson's warning comes after recent research from the University College London assessed what type of social media accounts attract predators. Led by PhD candidate Somaya Alwejdani, the researchers set up four fake teen "honeypot" profiles, using AI-generated photos when an image was displayed.

The fake profiles set up by researchers. Image: University College London

The accounts received 268 friend requests, likes, comments and messages from 136 accounts in two months. Two-thirds of these were deemed "suspicious."

The account that had a photo and indicated there was no parental supervision, amassed the most interactions.

In terms of tangible actions parents can take, Thomson said parents should turn chat functions off, especially for younger children.

If that is not feasible, "play it through speakers so you can monitor the chat."

Watch: We asked parents if they knew what their kids were consuming online — this is what they said. Post continues after video.

How to keep kids safe online.

Thomson said having conversations, and having them early, is the most effective method to help protect a child while they're online.

"We always suggest that they start at a young age and continue those conversations as their child grows up, so it's not just one conversation, and it's done," she said.

"You need to keep having those conversations as they progress and do more with technology online because as they grow they're going to be facing different challenges."

Thomson said parents need to create a safe space, free of punishment, to help a child open up.

"We also really want parents and carers to let their kids know they can come to them for help; not judging them or punishing them, not thinking that just uninstalling an app is going to solve the problem," she said.

"Taking their phone away is going to be seen as a punishment, and they're not going to come forward in the future if they think they are going to get in trouble."

She added that parents need to remember offenders are manipulative and will try and make a child feel shame.

"Offenders are extremely manipulative, and they are going to try and get the child to keep what is happening to them a secret, and they'll do that by making them feel ashamed, or making them think that they're the one that have done the wrong thing, and they're going to get in trouble," she said.

"If the child does come to them, don't focus on what the child has done, but focus on the actions of the offender.

"It takes a lot of courage for a child to come forward and disclose something like this. Having a parent react appropriately is so important to help that young person heal and get that support."

Although Thomson can't reveal specific tactics the AFP use to lure child predators, she shared some red flags to watch out for, which could indicate a child being groomed.

"Any sort of change in your child's online routine, or any unusual attitude to online activity, could indicate that they're experiencing some sort of online issue," she said, listing the common signs.

"If there's a sudden increase in a child's internet use that feels out of character, if they're being a little bit more private or secretive about what they're doing, they may become withdrawn or upset.

"In some cases, they may even have unexplained new possessions or, we do find with financial sextortion, they have sudden desperation for money or trying to get money or gift cards.

"Those things can be an indicator that something isn't right and then parents can start having conversations with their child to try and find out exactly what's going on."

Feature image: Getty.