U.S. Designated Top Consumer of Child Abuse Material

In a gripping and emotional interview on The Shawn Ryan Show, former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow exposed the horrifying scale of child exploitation and human trafficking in the United States, urging Americans—particularly parents and lawmakers—to confront this “terrifying epidemic” head-on.

Hosted by Shawn Ryan, a former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor, the episode titled “Fighting for Our Children” revealed shocking data and personal stories that underscore the urgent need for action to protect the most vulnerable among us.

Tebow, now a leading advocate for combating child exploitation through his Tim Tebow Foundation, shared a Department of Justice law enforcement map that left both him and Ryan visibly shaken.

The map, covered with over 111,000 red dots, represented unique IP addresses in the U.S. that had downloaded, shared, or distributed child abuse and rape images of children under 12 in just the past 30 days.

“Every one of those red dots is a boy or girl that is suffering,” Tebow said, emphasizing how the crisis isn’t confined to distant countries but is “happening in our backyard,” often perpetrated by those closest to the victims.

One of the most disturbing revelations was the identity of the primary offenders.
Tebow noted that biological fathers are the top perpetrators of sexual crimes against children, shattering the misconception that predators are typically strangers or organized crime figures. “The most heartbreaking part is that so much of this evil isn’t coming from strangers—it’s coming from family, from friends, from those in the trusted circle,” he said.

Also highlighted were the 55% to 85% of individuals involved in creating or sharing child pornography that are “hands-on offenders,” with the average offender abusing 13 victims over their lifetime.

Tebow’s foundation, which has rescued over 2,000 victims and aided in the prosecution of more than 500 traffickers across 30 countries, operates 20 safe homes with 22 more in development.

His passion for the cause stems from a life-changing encounter in the Philippines, where he met a boy with backward feet who was shunned as “cursed.” This experience ignited Tebow’s lifelong mission to protect vulnerable children, a mission he now channels through advocacy for legislation like the Renewed Hope Act.

The Act, which has receive bipartisan support, aims to bolster Homeland Security Investigations by hiring over 200 analysts and investigators to combat child sexual exploitation and identify over 50,000 unidentified victims.

The interview also addressed the role of technology in exacerbating the crisis with Tebow warning parents about the dangers of unchecked internet access, noting that predators use devices like smartphones, Xboxes, and e-readers to target children through sextortion and other schemes.

“When you hand your phone to your kid, know that the world and people with bad intentions are trying to lure them into something evil,” he cautioned, urging parents to enforce tech boundaries and “be the protectors you’re called to be.”

This call to action extended to Congress, where lawmakers were urged to prioritize legislation to protect children.

Tebow pointed out that the Cyber Crimes Center, tasked with victim identification, currently has only seven officers dedicated to this work—an unacceptable shortfall given the scale of the crisis.

Disturbingly, it was revealed that Americans are the top payers for live-streamed child rape and rank third globally in peer-to-peer sharing of abuse material, behind only China and Russia.

Conclusion

As believers, we have a moral imperative to protect the innocent (Proverbs 24:11-12) and the push for stronger law enforcement and legislative action in order to protect these innocent ones whilst ensuring perpetrators face justice and victims receive protection, falls perfectly in-line with that which the Word of God requires of us all.

This fight is one for the soul of our nation and we must heed his call to protect our children, hold predators accountable, and restore moral clarity to a society under siege.

By supporting organizations like the Tim Tebow Foundation and advocating for policies like the Renewed Hope Act, we can stand in the gap for the voiceless and ensure that evil does not go unanswered.

For more information on how to support the fight against child exploitation, visit the Tim Tebow Foundation at https://srs.site/ACTNOW.

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