Expert Interview with Detective Dan Maxiner of the St. Charles County, Missouri Cyber Crime Unit.
Are Parents Really Getting the Message?
Written by Denise Pellow
Friday, 16 October 2009 10:32
Awareness, Education and Prevention - Is this not enough?
Multiple articles out today reported on StlToday.com, bnd.com and Wired.com another Missouri incident of cyberbullying by a ninth-grade girl is now in the limelight. The offender is in deep trouble with her school and the law for bullying another Missouri youth by using the Internet.
The ninth grader created a website containing inappropriate content and hate speech. The victim in the case reported the website to school authorities and they in turn notified law enforcement. For a school to call law enforcement the website had to contain some serious offensive content. The ninth grader faces serious consequences from the school which could be potential expulsion and possible harassment charges in Juvenile Court.
Is the message getting through to parents? These types of instances can be prevented with the right resources and tools in place and creating a dialogue with our children.
Are we doing the things we need to do to protect our youth? We've read the research, seen the statistics that cyberbullying among youth is out of control and overwhelmingly damaging to some youth. I just wonder if the message isn't getting out there to parents or are they ignoring it?
It is very easy these days for anyone to create a simple website and it's free. There are open source platforms that make web creation as easy as typing three paragraphs on a page. I encourage parents and educators to educate themselves, create an open dialogue with students and children, recognize the warning signs. If the above-mentioned youth had such hatred for another classmate in her school, there had to be signs of the conflict at home. Girls are not necessarily the silent types.
If the simple act of paying attention is too much, then put safeguards in place. Parental control software and educational resources are widely available and reasonably priced and one company provides it to parents for free!
It can really be that simple. Paying attention is key to prevention. Schools have had bully prevention policies and classes in place for quite some time, but we can't leave it all up to the schools.
Parents have the ultimate responsibility for the actions of their children, especially when there is deliberate intent to harm another.
Denise Pellow interviewed on CyberhoodWatch Radio show
Written by Administrator
Tuesday, 06 October 2009 19:37
Listen to Dave and Bill interview author and KidsBeSafeOnline creator, Denise Pellow.
Before you hit the send button, think! Sexting has tragic and lifelong consequences for teens and their families
Written by Myra Vandersall
Monday, 28 September 2009 14:03
Depending on the area, teens may face child pornography charges, felony assault charges and registry on sex offender lists for sexting. Education may help teens understand that inappropriate choices can last a long time.
It's a delicate balance these days and the ongoing trend of teens sexting is eliciting varied reactions. For some kids and their families, this form of social networking may have tragic and lifelong consequences as local law enforcement officials consider the issue of distributing child pornography, which is a felony. While working through the new complexities, those involved with kids and teens want to discourage immature and inappropriate choices for this age group.
A very high profile case in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area resulted in the suicide of an 18-year-old high school student just before graduation. Her parents are now suing Sycamore School District, the city of Montgomery, Ohio, and several students they believe were complicit.
The case addresses harassment and bullying in addition to sexting. Jessica Logan, 18, sent nude photographs of herself she took on spring break to her boyfriend, Ryan Salyers, assuming he would not pass the photos along to others. Instead he sent the photo to four others, and eventually the photo ended up with hundreds of teenagers in at least seven Greater Cincinnati high schools.
She was harassed, taunted, shunned and bullied at school, in online social networking sites, e-mail and by phone after the photos appeared. On July 3, 2008, she committed suicide at her home. Read More...
First Woman Charged Under Missouri's Cyberharassment Law for Harassing a Minor
Written by Denise Pellow
Monday, 14 September 2009 22:28
A St. Charles County, Missouri woman has been charged with felony harassment against a minor after she allegedly posted a sexually suggestive ad on casual encounters section of Craigslist to humiliate a 17-year-old girl, who is the daughter of her ex-husband's girlfriend. Elizabeth Thrasher, 40 of St. Peters, is the first adult charged under Missouri's Cyberharassment Law passed in June 2008.
The new cyberharassment law was enacted in Missouri and other states followed suit in response to the Megan Meier tragedy. Megan, also from St. Charles County, committed suicide after being bullied on the Internet by minor teens and an adult neighbor, Lori Drew. Drew as charged with three misdemeanor counts of unauthorized access to computers for violating MySpace's terms of use.
While a jury convicted Drew in November 2008 on all counts, the federal judge in the case, George Wu, overruled and acquitted Lori Drew of all charges on July 2, 2009.
In the Thrasher case, she is accused of posting the girl's cell phone number, her email address and a photo of the 17-year-old she obtained from her MySpace page, indicated she was interested in a sexual encounter.
Almost immediately the minor began receiving offensive calls and emails, texts and pornographic photos from people she did not know. She reported the activity to the St. Charles County Police, Lt. Craig McGuire said the current situation began during an online argument between Thrasher, the girl and her mother, again on MySpace, when the teen told Thrasher "to grow up." Read More...
Texting/Driving Bans and Sexting Update
Written by Myra Vandersall
Wednesday, 02 September 2009 15:23
Missouri Driving/Texting Law Goes Into Effect; Texas Schools Ban Sexting; More Agencies Are Prohibiting Teens from Texting/Driving/Sexting on Electronic Devices
No Texting and Driving in MO
A Missouri law that bans texting, reading, writing and driving for drivers under the age of 21 went into effect on August 28, 2009. This makes Missouri the 23rd state to ban the texting and driving combination, but the state is only one of nine to designate a certain age group. The fine for texting and driving is $200.
Texting drivers spend up to 400 percent more time with their eyes off the road, says Leanna Depue, director of Highway Safety for the Missouri Department of Transportation. "This law is a small step toward counteracting some of the distracted driving that causes crashes in Missouri." For a complete listing of states' texting and driving laws, go to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Texas school districts are moving toward banning the practice of sexting, or sending sexually explicit images via an electronic device. The Houston Independent School District and the Mesquite District have initiated these bans while the Dallas-Fort Worth Independent School District is relying on the existing Student Code of Conduct that prohibits the use of any electronic device and possessing/distributing/exhibiting/transmitting obscene materials.
The Garland Independent School System also uses their ban on cell phone usage during the school day to cover the sexting issue. Read More...
