Shocking Experiment Shows Just How Easily Predators Can Strike Online (Video)

This video from YouTuber Coby Persin is not for the faint of heart.

To demonstrate just how easy it is for sex offenders to connect with children on the Internet, Persin created a Facebook profile posing as a teenager.

With their parents’ consent, Persin contacted — and, ultimately, befriended — three teenagers, none of whom knew him by face. One of the teens was only 12 years old.

Persin then asked each teen to hang out with him alone: One was to meet him at a park, one was to meet him at her home and the last was told to get in his car.

For each meeting, Persin brought at least one of the teen's parents along. This way, if and when a teen actually went through with the meeting, a parent would be there to witness the act and have a few words.

Though the results of this experiment are both frightening and maddening, Persin’s goal isn’t to scare; it's to educate. According to Persin, there are over 750,000 registered sex offenders in the US, and it’s more important now than ever for children to receive proper education regarding online safety.

Some commenters pointed out not all predators use the Internet to access children, and not all predators are strangers.

But, the fact remains this is something that happens, and it is something we need to educate our children about — even if that means scaring them a little.

Check out the powerful video up top.