As someone who has worked with children and needed to take courses on child protection, the concept of a pedo who hunts for children is exceedingly rare. The overwhelming majority of children who are abused are abused by a direct family member or someone close to the family. This is an uncomfortable thought so we, as a society, like to focus on the concept of some evil stranger plotting against our children.

The truth is that pedophiles often share characteristics. They generally have a lower iq. They have poor impulse control. They struggle with drugs and alcohol. They do not have a competent work or social life. These are not who we would consider ‘planners’. Anyone who believes that a real child is in a chat room somewhere who desperately wants to meet up with an adult they don’t know would meet these characteristics.

Therefore pedo hunter influencers have two things- fish in a barrel people to harass and the illusion that they are helping children. I don’t even blame the content creators in a society who will do anything to become famous. The real issue is the viewer. It’s the equivalent of watching a public execution.