One in five Indiana children has been contacted by a sexual predator online, and many kids – and their parents – may not even realize it. That's leading for a call to parents to put away their own electronic devices and pay more attention to what their kids are doing online, and with whom. Those statistics come from the Morgan County Sheriff's Office. Captain Brent Worth conducts workshops and seminars for kids and adults to warn them of what to look out for on social media. He's found kids who are slow to make friends or are feeling left out at school can be at risk.
"For the kids that aren't very socially interactive with the other kids, you know, they're more susceptible to these types of danger because you know, these people do tell them what they want to hear."
Worth says for law enforcement, social media has been a growing source of serious issues, including cyber-bullying, crimes against children and identity theft. The Indiana Youth Institute teams up this month with the Children’s Bureau, Inc., and Youth Connections to host forums around the state.
Research from the American Academy of Pediatrics has found social media can cause depression and anxiety among teenagers. Worth says that's where good family support comes in. He tells parents they need to put away their own phones and laptops, and spend more quality time with their kids.
"There's a whole disconnect between social media and the family, you know, where kids aren't as connected with the family these days, and the parents aren't as connected with the kids, because they're all planted into their phone."
Worth says predators know what to say to kids to get them to "friend" them and interact online. He encourages parents to trust their intuition – if they think something's wrong with a young person who's spending lots of time online, there probably is.
The radio stations of Classic Hits 102.3 The River, Hoosier Country 103.7, and 1230 AM/94.9 FM WSAL in Logansport, Indiana | 574-722-4000
