ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT SHOULD PUT EVERY PARENT ON ALERT
A teacher is accused of having sex with a student and, like many times before, cell phone calls and texting reportedly had a role in sexually abusing a minor.
In a recent case out of Pennsylvania police say a 26-year-old P.E. teacher admitted to having sex with a 14-year-old student in the school’s parking lot. Detectives from the Moon Township Police Department said they found nude pictures of the 14 year old on the teacher’s cell phone along with text messages.
A 24-year-old Escondido, CA, man was arrested and charged with 10 felony counts after police said he had sex with a 12-year-old girl he met on Skout.com, a network that allows users to interact with people who are geographically near them through GPS-enabled cell phone.
In reference to the GPS settings, young people don’t always fully understand the privacy settings offered on social networking sites, including Facebook, and may be too quick to reveal their identity and location. Some youngsters may not even be aware that the geographical location services on their smart phones have been activated. “I don’t think that is safe for anyone, especially young people.” Sheriff Brown said.
Some Social Media Tips
- Never give any information out about yourself (or anyone else) over the Internet.
- Never download any files on to your computer without a parent or adult’s consent.
- If anyone online says anything inappropriate to you, harasses you, or sends you unwanted e-mail, tell an adult immediately, and report it to the proper authorities.
- Remember that on the Internet, people can pretend to be who they are not, and they may go to great lengths to sound convincing.
- If you use chat rooms, use a different chat name (if possible) than your user name or e-mail address.
- Remember, Internet friendships, relationships, and conversations can never be as true, personal, and rewarding as they are in person. If you really need to talk to someone, find a friend, family member, or adult you trust.
- Be wary of ANYONE who wants to know personal information about you.
- Remember that sometimes, when you are on the Internet, you may accidentally meet bad people or see things that are bad, but it’s not your fault! If something you read or look at is upsetting, stop looking at it, and go tell an adult you trust or parent.
- Never buy anything over the Internet without your parent or guardian’s approval. Don’t include any part of your name, date of birth, location, or anything sexually suggestive in your ‘chat’ name.
- Don’t go in to private chat rooms.
- When choosing an online chatroom, be cautious of the chatroom name. Stick to chat rooms created by the online service, rather than ‘member created’ rooms.
- Don’t say anything in a chatroom that you wouldn’t say in public, in front of your parents or friends.
- If you start to chat regularly with someone, let an adult or parent know.
- Remember, you are in control. If a conversation starts to get strange or make you feel uncomfortable, then leave. Leave the chatroom, and log off. If it is someone saying sexual things to you, tell an adult.
- Never meet anyone face to face that you met on the Internet unless you tell a parent or adult first, and they go with you.
- Don’t think of people you’ve met on the Internet as ‘real life’ friends. They’re just not!
- Don’t click on links or go to sites that you’re not familiar with.
- Never post a picture of yourself online and never e-mail pictures of yourself to people you don’t know.
- Never give out your password and make sure it’s something only you know.
- Don’t respond to ‘flames’- people trying to start an argument, or insults, bad language, etc.
