How did you get into all of this work?

I am a career-long writer, and child advocacy has always meant a lot to me. I’ve written about sex trafficking and the refugee crisis, and sex abuse. When I was working in the tech space, my team put a decoy online to demonstrate the ubiquity of child predation. I ended up writing about it, and my piece went viral. It garnered some media attention, and I realized that I wanted to put all my effort into moving the needle when it comes to online sexual abuse and exploitation. This all led me to start SOSA.

Will you hire me?

I appreciate the enthusiasm! Check SOSA’s LinkedIn for any job listings — if we’re hiring, that’s where we’ll put it. I unfortunately do not have the bandwidth to answer DMs, emails, etc asking to join the team.

How did Undercover Underage happen?

A production company reached out to me about making a show. I hemmed and hawed a little at first, but they presented the docuseries as a way to get this message out to millions of people. That really sold it for me.

How many seasons of Undercover Underage are there? Where can I watch Undercover Underage?

There are two seasons of Undercover Underage, and you can stream them on Max!

How many arrests has your work resulted in?

It’s a great question, although the answer might be unsatisfactory. It’s really hard to quantify. When we identify a bad actor and hand evidence over, law enforcement might 1) conduct an independent investigation, 2) use our account logins and communicate as the decoy, or 3) have us work with them all the way through to an arrest.

The internet is global, so if we’re working in one town and an ACM who has broken the law is 2,000 miles away, local law enforcement will often send a case over to their jurisdiction. Or it could get extradited.

Often our work ends when we hand over evidence. I can definitively say that it’s been at least three dozen arrests.

What’s your ethnic background?

I was born in Hong Kong, and became a US citizen as a teen. I’m half-Filipino and half-Welsh.

I found someone online that I think could be a predator. Could you go after him?

No, please do not do this. I will not be able to help. See some of SOSA’s FAQs for more info.

I’m concerned about my kids and online safety. I don’t know what to do or how to monitor and all these settings are confusing. Can you help?

Yes! First, the SOSA website has a lot of great resources. So does NCMEC.

Is it wrong to hit a friend with a Draw 4 in UNO?

There are no friends in UNO.

Where can I find you on social media?

I’m @roo_pow on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Threads, etc, etc.

What do you hope the show will achieve?

This answer is directly from my interview in Forbes with the wonderful Risa Sarachan. I hope Undercover Underagewill not only educate people about the dangers of communicating with strangers online but also aid in empowering a society to tackle this issue. I think combating sex abuse and exploitation really starts with awareness. This is uncharted territory for so many of us. We (anyone my age) didn’t grow up with smartphones in our hands, but our kids are.

One of my hopes is that along with raising awareness, we’re raising empathy. There’s so much victim-blaming, and I think victim-blaming is the number one thing that keeps predators safe and emboldened. I want us to be able to adopt empathy-led education and support as the standard, not the exception. We hope to inspire states to raise the age of consent from 16 to 18 and to adopt grooming statutes.

We're also hoping for better paths to rehabilitation for would-be perpetrators before they ever harm a child. Ultimately, I hope that this is a catalyst for a lot of change.

Are there any kids that are more at risk of being contacted by predators than others?

Kids are targeted regardless of gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, etc. However, some predators perk up when they think a kid has little adult oversight. For example, a kid in a foster situation, or one that doesn’t spend a lot of time with parents or caregivers.

But being targeted isn’t about being a good kid or a smart kid or a kid from a nice family. It’s just about being a kid.

What’s your sexuality? Do you have a partner? What are your kids’ names?

While I appreciate the interest in my personal life, I do not answer questions like these. I’ll tell you all about my cat, though.

How old are you?

The answer to this question will vary depending on when it’s being asked.

Has an ACM ever recognized you?

Nope!

What conversations do you think parents or guardians need to be having with their children about online sexual abuse?

What I tell parents and caregivers is that the best way to prevent predation right now is to have open lines of communication with your kids, because there's really no stopping them from being on the internet — whether at home or at school or at friends’ houses. It's part of our culture now. It’s part of their education, and it’s a part of how they’re being raised. The best thing we can do is prepare them for it. Teach them to trust their own gut. When something feels wrong or ick or gross or off, trust that feeling, and trust that they can go to a parent, caregiver, or trusted adult about it.

And then have these talks frequently. For example, I don't have the puberty talk or the sex talk with my kids once, I have these conversations with them a lot. Similarly, I don't have the talk about online safety and predation with my kids once. It's a conversation we're constantly having. My hope is that parents will watch Undercover Underage with their teens and that it will spark these conversations.