Tim Tebow Shines Light on the Heartbreaking Truth of Child Exploitation in the U.S.

Former NFL player Tim Tebow joined former Navy SEAL and former CIA contractor, Shawn Ryan, on his podcast in a harrowing discussion on child exploitation in the United States. Tebow, the founder of the Tim Tebow Foundation, which fights to protect exploited children, noted that biological fathers are the “number one offender”, particularly “middle-aged, Caucasian men, many…of them college graduates, many of them are educated” with “good jobs.”
“This is over the last 30 days,” said Tebow, as Ryan head up a map of the U.S. which featured red dots which showed that “every red dot on that map is at least one unique IP address of individuals downloading, sharing, distributing child abuse and rape images [of children] under the age of 12.”
“Do you know the number one offender? Biological fathers. 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.”@TimTebow pic.twitter.com/g11O1hRvVn
— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyan762) May 12, 2025
Notably, the majority of the red dots filled up much of the eastern side of the nation, Church Leaders reported.
“There’s over 111,000 [unique IP addresses] just in the U.S.,” Tebow said, reiterating that the map is only displaying “the last 30 days.”
“Wow,” said Ryan.
“I wanted to bring that because I think it brings to life so much of the evil that we’re trying to face,” Tebow explained. “And people will say, ‘Well, that’s just over there, and it’s in those countries, and it’s all of those places,’ and it’s not Shawn. It’s right here in our backyard.”
In collaboration with his organization and the Cyber Crimes Center, Tebow identified over 50,000 images of child abuse.
The Heisman Trophy winner and activist also pointed out that 55-85% of these offenders are also hands-on abusers, with an average of 13 victims per offender.
“And I just, I want to share that with you,” Tebow told Ryan, “because I know that your heart breaks for them, and I think that map brings to life the evil that we’re trying to fight.”
Additionally, Tebow noted the United States is the number one payer of livestream rape of boys and girls worldwide and the third behind China, Russia, in peer-to-peer sharing.
In combating child abuse, Tebow advocated for the passage of the Renewed Hope Act, which would increase the number of victim identification officers from 7 to 200. In a post on X Wednesday, he further explained that the act would strengthen the Child Exploitation Unit by hiring 200 new investigators, bringing in temporary specialists “to help identify and locate victims”, and providing advanced training for law enforcement across “all levels.”
So many of you have been asking how you can help the hundreds of thousands of children we know are being sexually abused—and whose images are seen and shared online every day.
— Tim Tebow (@TimTebow) May 14, 2025
“This isn’t about politics. It’s about protecting kids. And together, we can do something about it,” Tebow contended.
Ryan also asked his followers to urge their representatives to pass the Renewed Hope Act.
“If you take anything away from this, please take action and urge your representatives to pass this bill,” he said. “It’s time we rally together, stand up as protectors and providers, and put an end to this evil.”
If you take anything away from this, please take action and urge your representatives to pass this bill. It’s time we rally together, stand up as protectors and providers, and put an end to this evil.
— Shawn Ryan Show (@ShawnRyanShow) May 13, 2025
Use this link: https://t.co/80JNw4LV8i@TimTebow pic.twitter.com/33717dMsR0
Photo Credit: ©YouTube/Shawn Ryan Show
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Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Alberto E. Rodriguez/Stringer
Originally published May 15, 2025.