Nebraska State Patrol reports 1,000% increase in online child exploitation tips since 2019

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The Nebraska State Patrol said they are receiving more tips about online child exploitation than they ever have.

NSP said they received more than 7,000 cybertips in 2025, a nearly 1,000% increase from 2019.

Cybertips don’t mean it becomes a case, but it is passed along to law enforcement.

“There’s always a piece of your heart that hurts when you know that a child is a victim to something,” Capt. Monty Lovelace said.

Christy Prang, the director of training and community engagement at BraveBe Child Advocacy Center, and her staff are educating parents and kids of the dangers of social media.

“Kids are online more than ever,” Prang said. “The risk is real. The risk is there. And it’s in places where I think parents sometimes assume that it’s not.”

Prang encourages parents to have a transparent conversation with kids.

“I think understanding how to navigate the apps and understanding how to navigate the games and the online platforms that they’re on are also, it’s also really, really important,” Prang said. “So you can speak their language.”

NSP is being proactive in its own way, with their online undercover operations.

“It’s something that it’s an ongoing process of actively pursuing individuals online,” Lovelace said. “A lot of it has to do, with the investigator and the timeline is dictated by the individual that they’re communicating with.”