This week has generated fresh attention to the ongoing problem of unfettered social media access today's youth enjoy.Authorities believe the 15-year-old Wisconsin school shooter on Monday was in touch with someone 2,000 miles away. It's alleged she and a California man had plotted a mass shooting.Last winter, a 14-year-old was accused of conspiring with a man from out of state to attack Mariemont High School east of Cincinnati.The Children's Law Center, which represents that youth, would not talk about that specific case, but provided insight about what some children go through.Nick Caprino, Deputy Director at the Center, ran down the list."Bullying, hazing, might be experiencing some mental health crises, could be dealing with housing instability or experiencing personal violence from family or people they know," Caprino said.Young people know what they hold in their hands every day is a gateway to just about any place and anyone in the world.Ohio's Attorney General Dave Yost considers that a flashing caution light."You wouldn't let your kid hop on a bus and go out of state to another city without you knowing about it," Yost said. "Don't let them use the phone to do the same thing."Over the years, Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney and other prosecutors have said repeatedly that there are simply not enough investigators to corral every potential threat to a child's safety online.According to experts, it's important for parents to control their child's app store, the digital pathway to TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and more."You can limit who that child can talk to," said Stephen Smith, President and founder of an organization called "A Wired Family".He also pointed out that almost every app today is also a website. So, parents would need to gain control of the browser, too."91% of kids are allowed to bring their phones into their bedroom," Smith said. "And of that 91%, 75% of them are online at one, two, three, four (hours), and sometimes all night. That isn't just in Greater Cincinnati. That is any place I've been in the country. Those numbers are always basically the same."Smith said that in surveys of recent high school graduates conducted over the past five years, 67% of the former students said they were contacted at least once during their high school years by someone, usually an adult, who made them feel uncomfortable."Your neighborhood, my neighborhood, growing up was a concrete neighborhood limited by geography. Today's kids' neighborhood is not limited by geography," Smith said.As February's Mariemont scare shows on the local level and Monday's Wisconsin tragedy reinforces on the national level, those useful and remarkable digital devices can open a dangerous door for unsuspecting kids, even your own.
This week has generated fresh attention to the ongoing problem of unfettered social media access today's youth enjoy.
Authorities believe the 15-year-old Wisconsin school shooter on Monday was in touch with someone 2,000 miles away. It's alleged she and a California man had plotted a mass shooting.
Last winter, a 14-year-old was accused of conspiring with a man from out of state to attack Mariemont High School east of Cincinnati.
The Children's Law Center, which represents that youth, would not talk about that specific case, but provided insight about what some children go through.
Nick Caprino, Deputy Director at the Center, ran down the list.
"Bullying, hazing, might be experiencing some mental health crises, could be dealing with housing instability or experiencing personal violence from family or people they know," Caprino said.
Young people know what they hold in their hands every day is a gateway to just about any place and anyone in the world.
Ohio's Attorney General Dave Yost considers that a flashing caution light.
"You wouldn't let your kid hop on a bus and go out of state to another city without you knowing about it," Yost said. "Don't let them use the phone to do the same thing."
Over the years, Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney and other prosecutors have said repeatedly that there are simply not enough investigators to corral every potential threat to a child's safety online.
According to experts, it's important for parents to control their child's app store, the digital pathway to TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and more.
"You can limit who that child can talk to," said Stephen Smith, President and founder of an organization called "A Wired Family".
He also pointed out that almost every app today is also a website. So, parents would need to gain control of the browser, too.
"91% of kids are allowed to bring their phones into their bedroom," Smith said. "And of that 91%, 75% of them are online at one, two, three, four (hours), and sometimes all night. That isn't just in Greater Cincinnati. That is any place I've been in the country. Those numbers are always basically the same."
Smith said that in surveys of recent high school graduates conducted over the past five years, 67% of the former students said they were contacted at least once during their high school years by someone, usually an adult, who made them feel uncomfortable.
"Your neighborhood, my neighborhood, growing up was a concrete neighborhood limited by geography. Today's kids' neighborhood is not limited by geography," Smith said.
As February's Mariemont scare shows on the local level and Monday's Wisconsin tragedy reinforces on the national level, those useful and remarkable digital devices can open a dangerous door for unsuspecting kids, even your own.