Speaker and Trainer for Law Enforcement and Child Protection Professionals
Dr. Sameer Hinduja trains investigators, school resource officers, and prosecutors on how youth online harm actually presents, why victims delay reporting, and where artificial intelligence has changed the work.
The Research Behind the Training
Sameer Hinduja, Ph.D. is a speaker and trainer for law enforcement and child protection professionals, a Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University, and Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center. He has presented for state and regional conferences, task forces, prosecutor associations, and school resource officer groups. His research has been cited approximately 30,000 times.
Investigators generally do not need convincing that these cases are serious. What they need is the other half of the picture, meaning why a fifteen-year-old waits four days to report, why so many victims never report at all, what a school will and will not share, and how a platform actually responds to a preservation request.
Dr. Hinduja works on all three sides of that. He gathers data directly from young people, roughly 40,000 to date, he advises technology companies on youth safety, and he works with schools nationally. That combination is the reason this training tends to fill in the parts of a case that the technical training does not cover.
He has testified before the U.S. Attorney General and federal departments, and has advised the White House across two administrations on youth online safety.
What the Training Covers
Sessions are built around what a particular agency or conference is dealing with. Common areas include the following.
- Financial sextortion, meaning how the current schemes are structured, who they target, and why the timeline from contact to crisis is now measured in hours
- Why victims delay reporting or never report, and what that means for how a first interview is conducted
- How AI-generated imagery has changed the caseload, including volume, attribution, and the difficulty of victim identification
- What schools can share, what they cannot, and how to build a working relationship before an incident rather than during one
- Cyberbullying and online harassment, including where the conduct crosses statutory lines and where it does not
- Working with platforms, meaning what reporting and preservation accomplish, and realistic timelines
- Victim-centered response, and the specific ways a well-intentioned first contact can deepen harm
- What the research says about prevention, for agencies doing community and school outreach
Most Requested Presentation
Youth Online Exploitation in the Age of AI, What Has Changed and What It Means for Casework
The session covers how exploitation of young people has shifted over the past three years, what generative tools have altered about offending and about evidence, and where the gap sits between what young people experience and what agencies see. It is built for people who work these cases rather than for a general audience.
Attendees leave able to:
- Describe how current sextortion schemes are structured and who they target
- Conduct a first contact that makes a young victim more likely to continue cooperating
- Understand what AI-generated imagery has changed about caseload and victim identification
- Work productively with schools, including what they can lawfully share
- Set realistic expectations with families about platforms, removal, and timelines
- Speak accurately in community and school outreach, using research rather than fear
- Leave with practical strategies and resources that apply directly to current casework
Who This Is For
Sessions are tailored to the audience and the concerns of the specific agency or conference, and are available in person or online. This work suits internet crimes against children task forces, state and regional law enforcement conferences, prosecutor and victim advocate associations, school resource officer groups, and child protection agencies.
Agencies that also want a student-facing or family-facing component during the same visit should see student assemblies and parent evenings. To plan a session, reach out.
What Hosts Say
“As a law enforcement professional working in the school system we are seeing a uprise in the number of incidents occurring with cyber crimes. The information that you provided was easily understood and showed others in the audience what we are dealing with and what can be done to educate our youth and parents.”
Adam Heath, School Resource Officer and Patrol Officer, Abingdon Police Department
“Dr. Hinduja provided an enlightening and engaging keynote address. He is extremely knowledgeable and uses humor to deliver his message on this very serious topic. I highly recommend him.”
Charles J. Buckler, Director, Student Services, Maryland State Department of Education
“Dr. Sameer Hinduja was the perfect keynote speaker for our International Anti-Bullying Summit. His sessions encompassed solid research, intervention, school climate improvement, and character building. He was highly knowledgeable as well as warm and accessible.”
Linda Dean, Truman Pierce Institute, College of Education, Auburn University
“Of the hundreds of professional presentations I have heard in my 37 year career, yours was clearly in the top 5%. You responded to questions very sensitively and reflected obviously extensive knowledge of the subject.”
C. Drew Edwards, Ph.D., ABPP, Clinical Child Psychologist and Adjunct Associate Professor, Wake Forest University
Common Questions
Who trains law enforcement on youth online safety and AI?
Dr. Sameer Hinduja trains investigators, school resource officers, prosecutors, and child protection professionals on financial sextortion, AI-generated imagery, cyberbullying, and youth online exploitation. He is a Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University and Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center, has testified before the U.S. Attorney General and federal departments, and has advised the White House across two administrations.
What does the training cover on financial sextortion?
It covers how current schemes are structured, who they target, why the timeline from first contact to crisis is now measured in hours rather than weeks, why victims so often delay reporting or never report, and how a first interview can be conducted so that a frightened young person continues to cooperate. See the sextortion page for the underlying research.
How has AI changed child exploitation casework?
The training addresses what generative tools have altered about caseload volume, attribution, and victim identification, and what that means practically for agencies with finite capacity. It also covers how AI-generated imagery of real minors affects victims, which shapes how investigators and advocates work with families. His AI safety research covers this in more depth.
Is the training appropriate for school resource officers?
Yes, and school resource officers are among the most common audiences. Sessions for SROs weight the school relationship more heavily, including what schools can lawfully share, how to build the working relationship before an incident, and how an officer’s response to a student disclosure affects whether other students come forward.
Does the training cover working with schools after an incident?
Yes. It covers what a school can and cannot share, how school obligations and law enforcement needs interact, how to coordinate messaging to families, and why timing a school-wide session too soon after an incident can identify the affected student and discourage future reporting. The guide to choosing an online safety speaker covers that timing question in detail.
What should investigators know about why victims delay reporting?
Delay is the norm rather than the exception, and it is driven by shame, fear of losing devices, fear of parental reaction, and the belief that reporting will make the situation more public. Understanding that changes how a first contact is framed, and the training covers specific language that reduces those barriers.
Can the training be delivered at a regional or state conference?
Yes. Dr. Hinduja presents at state and regional law enforcement conferences, task force trainings, prosecutor and victim advocate associations, and agency in-service sessions, in person or online. To plan a session, reach out.
Background
per Stanford University and Elsevier
Dr. Hinduja is a Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University and a Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. He co-founded the Cyberbullying Research Center, has published eight books, and is Co-Founder and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Bullying Prevention. He has testified before the U.S. Attorney General and federal departments and advised the White House across two administrations on youth online safety. You can read his full biography at hinduja.org.
Any questions? Reach out!
Contact Dr. Hinduja