Junior’s TEDTalk advocates for the dangers of child grooming – The Lancer Feed

“I was nervous in the minutes leading up to it, but when they called me on stage, I felt this sense of calm come over me because I knew this was the only way to raise awareness,” junior Julia said Teves.

TEDxClayton HS Youth is a student-run event where high school students from the St. Louis area give an informative talk on the topic. According to TED, this year was about empowering teenagers’ vision.

Among the eight students selected to speak at the event was Teves, who chose to speak on child care, a global issue that is close to her heart.

“From my personal experiences and from experiences that I have researched, I know that this is not the case [enough] There is not enough information about this topic,” said Teves. “I knew that if no one was raising awareness, I should definitely do my part.”

In her lecture, Teves understands child care to mean that “adults pay special attention to children in order to develop an inappropriate and intimate relationship.”

Teves’ thorough research led her to read countless books, articles, documentaries and lectures on the topic of child care.

Although she didn’t give her presentation until the beginning of the year, Teves’ research began right at the start of her freshman year.

“I used this topic for an ALARP presentation a few years ago and spent an entire semester researching the topic. I gave a 30-minute presentation about it and that’s when I realized that this was a topic that was close to my heart and that I would take every opportunity to talk about it [it]” she said.

Teves said it was difficult to research the topic because it made her uncomfortable.

“Yes, it was uncomfortable. But once I started researching and discovered the need for education and awareness, it was no longer difficult,” Teves said.

When she heard about the TEDxClayton HS Youth application during her sophomore year, she didn’t hesitate to apply. Days later, Teves received an email saying she had been selected.

“I was so excited. Not only because I was chosen to give a talk, but also to spread my message because I knew this was the perfect opportunity for me to share my message with thousands of people,” she said.

In her speech, Teves wanted to recognize child care as a global problem.

“I’m trying to take this local issue and increase its importance so that the whole world knows the importance of awareness and education,” she said.

According to the NSCPP, 6,350 child care crimes were recorded in 2022-2023, an increase of 82% compared to 2017-2018.

Another statistic from the Child Crime Prevention and Safety Center states that 50% of online child grooming and sexual exploitation occurs to people between the ages of 12 and 15.

Teves said she will continue to raise awareness about child care and will not hesitate if she has another opportunity to speak.

“Right now there is no education and people are very exposed to this problem,” Teves said.