From Reels To Rescue: How Instagram Grooming Is Pushing Minors Into Trafficking

Hyderabad:A 12-year-old girl set out to become an Instagram influencer but she ended up being groomed, exploited and pushed into prostitution. The girl posted over 1,000 reels on Instagram, taking advice from a man who began commenting on her videos, praising her content and offering to help her to increase her followers and views.

Trusting his advice, the girl created the content that he suggested. He gradually shifted the conversations from the comment section to private messages, phone calls and eventually virtual meetings before they met in person.

According to anti-human trafficking NGO Prajwala, the man manipulated the girl emotionally, exploited her online and used sextortion to force her to elope. The NGO said it recently rescued her along with other minor girls, who had fallen victim to an organised human trafficking network.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Sunitha Krishnan, founder of Prajwala, said the growing obsession with instant fame on social media had become a tool for traffickers to target vulnerable children.

"We are increasingly seeing social media, particularly Instagram, being used to groom minor girls. In one case, a girl was repeatedly encouraged to post revealing reels because it would increase her views and followers. She saw her engagement rise, and believed that the man wanted to help her become popular. In reality, he was grooming her for exploitation," she said.

Krishnan said traffickers no longer relied on physical contact in the initial stages. Instead, they first built emotional relationships online before using intimate images, videos or conversations to blackmail the victims.

"These men first create trust in the virtual world. Once the girls become emotionally dependent, they are subjected to sextortion and manipulated into running away from home. We have rescued girls between 12 and 15 years of age who were being groomed for prostitution," she said.

She observed that many victims came from broken families, emotionally disturbed households or homes where parents were too busy to monitor their children's online activities. "Most of these girls simply wanted to become influencers," she added.

Krishnan urged the police to treat every missing or elopement case involving a minor as a potential trafficking case so that investigations begin immediately.

Women safety wing DCP Lavanya Naik said adolescents were particularly vulnerable. "We have cases of girls being trapped through games applications, and we have observed that some girls also travel across states to meet the guy.”

Children often do not understand the long-term consequences of seeking validation through social media. Parents need to stay involved in their digital lives, while children should be educated about online grooming and manipulation before they become victims. Parents must have control over their children, she added.