Anonymous
03/14/2024 12:20
Subject: Article in Post- online abuse and extortion
My kid is not a teenager yet but he does play Roblox and Minecraft on his iPad. I have showed him how to block people and encourage him to do so. He also has to play in a common area of the house like the living room or kitchen.
One thing I have heard from friends who have older kids is to delay getting a smart phone for as long as possible.
Also, lots of kids have mental health issues which the perpetrators target. It's easy to say your child doesn't have any issues, but one friend's child started cutting when she heard the popular girls were doing it.
One thing I have heard from friends who have older kids is to delay getting a smart phone for as long as possible.
Also, lots of kids have mental health issues which the perpetrators target. It's easy to say your child doesn't have any issues, but one friend's child started cutting when she heard the popular girls were doing it.
Anonymous
03/14/2024 12:16
Subject: Article in Post- online abuse and extortion
Anonymous wrote:As parents of teens, I think there are several things that you need to think about with respect to this article:
1. The article mentioned how all the victims were suffering from some underlying psychological problems and these predators seek them out. For the vast majority of everyday kids, if they are approached by a random on the Internet they tell them f**k off...and that's the end of it.
2. The main person in the article was researching some pretty extreme content to start...gore fiction. Clearly, these predators know where to find their victims, so make sure you understand what your kids are trying to search for.
3. My one kid is a huge STEM kid and Discord is a useful platform for seeking out programming information, sharing code, etc. I honestly don't know why Discord is so much better than other sites...but it has great utility for the 99% of people using it for good purposes. I would imagine that the forums my kid is on are also not great forums for predators, because these kids know how to unmask identities so predators stay away
4. You need to be probably more aware about straight financial extortion scams. Some criminal organization poses as an attractive male / female on a mainstream platform, convinces your kid to send a naked pic and then extorts them for $$$s. That is a much more common occurrence than what is profiled in this article. Of course, I told my kids don't send any naked pics to anyone, even BF/GF. Don't send any to a stranger.
If you as a teen have a lapse in judgment and still do the above, these scammers don't like dealing with people who are problematic. Tell them you don't give a f**k if they send the picture to everyone at school (which is really an empty threat) and you are alerting the authorities. That will normally be the end of that.
Yes, it is ugly out there...best thing you can do is raise healthy, adjusted kids.
Thank you for writing this out.
Anonymous
03/14/2024 11:52
Subject: Article in Post- online abuse and extortion
As parents of teens, I think there are several things that you need to think about with respect to this article:
1. The article mentioned how all the victims were suffering from some underlying psychological problems and these predators seek them out. For the vast majority of everyday kids, if they are approached by a random on the Internet they tell them f**k off...and that's the end of it.
2. The main person in the article was researching some pretty extreme content to start...gore fiction. Clearly, these predators know where to find their victims, so make sure you understand what your kids are trying to search for.
3. My one kid is a huge STEM kid and Discord is a useful platform for seeking out programming information, sharing code, etc. I honestly don't know why Discord is so much better than other sites...but it has great utility for the 99% of people using it for good purposes. I would imagine that the forums my kid is on are also not great forums for predators, because these kids know how to unmask identities so predators stay away
4. You need to be probably more aware about straight financial extortion scams. Some criminal organization poses as an attractive male / female on a mainstream platform, convinces your kid to send a naked pic and then extorts them for $$$s. That is a much more common occurrence than what is profiled in this article. Of course, I told my kids don't send any naked pics to anyone, even BF/GF. Don't send any to a stranger.
If you as a teen have a lapse in judgment and still do the above, these scammers don't like dealing with people who are problematic. Tell them you don't give a f**k if they send the picture to everyone at school (which is really an empty threat) and you are alerting the authorities. That will normally be the end of that.
Yes, it is ugly out there...best thing you can do is raise healthy, adjusted kids.
1. The article mentioned how all the victims were suffering from some underlying psychological problems and these predators seek them out. For the vast majority of everyday kids, if they are approached by a random on the Internet they tell them f**k off...and that's the end of it.
2. The main person in the article was researching some pretty extreme content to start...gore fiction. Clearly, these predators know where to find their victims, so make sure you understand what your kids are trying to search for.
3. My one kid is a huge STEM kid and Discord is a useful platform for seeking out programming information, sharing code, etc. I honestly don't know why Discord is so much better than other sites...but it has great utility for the 99% of people using it for good purposes. I would imagine that the forums my kid is on are also not great forums for predators, because these kids know how to unmask identities so predators stay away
4. You need to be probably more aware about straight financial extortion scams. Some criminal organization poses as an attractive male / female on a mainstream platform, convinces your kid to send a naked pic and then extorts them for $$$s. That is a much more common occurrence than what is profiled in this article. Of course, I told my kids don't send any naked pics to anyone, even BF/GF. Don't send any to a stranger.
If you as a teen have a lapse in judgment and still do the above, these scammers don't like dealing with people who are problematic. Tell them you don't give a f**k if they send the picture to everyone at school (which is really an empty threat) and you are alerting the authorities. That will normally be the end of that.
Yes, it is ugly out there...best thing you can do is raise healthy, adjusted kids.
Anonymous
03/14/2024 10:46
Subject: Article in Post- online abuse and extortion
I think a lot of parents posting judgement here have children under 10 years old.
If you want to ascribe blame to the parents, also post how old your children are.
If you want to ascribe blame to the parents, also post how old your children are.
Anonymous
03/14/2024 10:43
Subject: Article in Post- online abuse and extortion
"The Oklahoma teenager’s experience with 764 started innocuously, her mother said in an interview. The girl downloaded the Discord app on her phone because her middle school art teacher encouraged students to use it to share their work. A fan of horror stories, she soon began searching for gory content."
It was the teacher who encouraged the kids in their class to download the app, not the parent.
It was the teacher who encouraged the kids in their class to download the app, not the parent.
Anonymous
03/14/2024 10:14
Subject: Article in Post- online abuse and extortion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This article is horrifying, specifically calls out grooming kids online including on Roblox. All parents whose kids have access to the internet should read- please be aware that this is becoming increasingly common. (Gift link below).
https://wapo.st/4cb7bi9
I blame the parents.
I do too, but not for purchasing the technology and allowing the downloading and participation in the Apps.
I strongly feel that well adjusted, parentally supported children don't just stumble into these schemes--as perpetrators or victims. I blame the parents for the years that lead up to things like this. Where were you? What were you doing to your children? What sign and signals did you miss? What did you allow them to see? What did you ignore and hope it would go away? Where you in denial?
I could go on and on.
Anonymous
03/14/2024 10:02
Subject: Re:Article in Post- online abuse and extortion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The internet is not a safe place for children. Congress must act to regulate it now.
Hahaha
No parents should do their jobs.
It is not that hard.
You have an infantile understanding of the scope and scale of the problem if that's the conclusion you've reached. You're not informed enough to engage in this conversation. See your way out.
Plenty informed. Children do not need access to these websites. Profits are gained from consumers. If consumers refuse the service, things change! But parents and schools refuse to deny access to these websites. There are many effective website blocking tools available and flipped phones without internet access are also still available. This problem is greatly caused by parents who freely give kids these luxuries of smartphones and free internet usage. The parents are driving the profits.
Whatever happened to individual accountability? At some point we need to stop expecting everyone else to protect our own kids. Social media companies serve important roles for adults who can use them responsibly. It’s like suing a knife company because your toddler got hurt while playing with knives. Keep knives away from toddlers and have the courage to keep social media away from your kids.
Anonymous
03/14/2024 09:27
Subject: Article in Post- online abuse and extortion
Anonymous wrote:This article is horrifying! We don't let our kids chat online or have access to social media. Our oldest is 13 and asked for a discord account, but we told him no. He can play video games with this friends, but they talk over the phone or on a zoom call - not through the chat function on the game.
But at some point, we'll have to let them have access to these things and teach them how to navigate it.
Even older adults can get conned online. It may not have such devastating consequences as physical harm, but it's been around forever, like the Nigerian money scams. Now it's more sophisticated, like people using AI to imitate a loved one's voice for fake kidnapping plots, hacking a friend's account and asking for money. My fil almost fell for one. And the repercussions for those scammers are often not even there. The online world generally cannot be trusted.
Anonymous
03/14/2024 09:09
Subject: Article in Post- online abuse and extortion
Anonymous wrote:This article is horrifying! We don't let our kids chat online or have access to social media. Our oldest is 13 and asked for a discord account, but we told him no. He can play video games with this friends, but they talk over the phone or on a zoom call - not through the chat function on the game.
But at some point, we'll have to let them have access to these things and teach them how to navigate it.
Not really. No one gave you access or taught you how to use these things because we didn’t have them as children. We learned just fine as adults.
Anonymous
03/14/2024 08:34
Subject: Article in Post- online abuse and extortion
This article is horrifying! We don't let our kids chat online or have access to social media. Our oldest is 13 and asked for a discord account, but we told him no. He can play video games with this friends, but they talk over the phone or on a zoom call - not through the chat function on the game.
But at some point, we'll have to let them have access to these things and teach them how to navigate it.
But at some point, we'll have to let them have access to these things and teach them how to navigate it.
Anonymous
03/14/2024 07:10
Subject: Article in Post- online abuse and extortion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Can we talk for a minute about the sick f**ks that are doing this to these kids?
What is wrong with these guys? How do they have the time and energy to create hundreds of telegram accounts?
I am so disturbed by the sheer volume perverts out there on the internet.
It sounds like Telegram makes much more of an effort than Meta, but it still sounds like they are playing whack a mole.
That was the part of the story I was missing. Like how did that kid get that away so young? Also a victim originally?
Must have been or something else highly traumatic.
Anonymous
03/14/2024 06:40
Subject: Article in Post- online abuse and extortion
Anonymous wrote:Can we talk for a minute about the sick f**ks that are doing this to these kids?
What is wrong with these guys? How do they have the time and energy to create hundreds of telegram accounts?
I am so disturbed by the sheer volume perverts out there on the internet.
It sounds like Telegram makes much more of an effort than Meta, but it still sounds like they are playing whack a mole.
That was the part of the story I was missing. Like how did that kid get that away so young? Also a victim originally?
Anonymous
03/13/2024 22:11
Subject: Article in Post- online abuse and extortion
Can we talk for a minute about the sick f**ks that are doing this to these kids?
What is wrong with these guys? How do they have the time and energy to create hundreds of telegram accounts?
I am so disturbed by the sheer volume perverts out there on the internet.
It sounds like Telegram makes much more of an effort than Meta, but it still sounds like they are playing whack a mole.
What is wrong with these guys? How do they have the time and energy to create hundreds of telegram accounts?
I am so disturbed by the sheer volume perverts out there on the internet.
It sounds like Telegram makes much more of an effort than Meta, but it still sounds like they are playing whack a mole.
Anonymous
03/13/2024 21:58
Subject: Article in Post- online abuse and extortion
One other online kid game for learning also has similar issues: Adventure Academy. There were weirdos messaging my kids at start of pandemic and I luckily was monitoring and blocked making new friends.
I monitor devices each night on browsing history and chats. Kids don’t have phones but don’t be fooled they still can message and chat with emails and other sites.
I monitor devices each night on browsing history and chats. Kids don’t have phones but don’t be fooled they still can message and chat with emails and other sites.
Anonymous
03/13/2024 21:46
Subject: Re:Article in Post- online abuse and extortion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The internet is not a safe place for children. Congress must act to regulate it now.
They need to ban much more than Tiiktok. Why are Discord and Telegram allowed at all if they cannot stop this abuse?!
Tik tok is literally the calmest of the apps. They don't want it because China controls it and it pisses them off they don't have control.
I realize the China part with Tiktok, but the article states the other sites would change if they were made legally responsible for what is encouraged on their platforms. Why is there no talk of making this happen? I can't imagine Congress is unaware.
Imagine harder. The median age in Congress is 58 (65 in the Senate). Remember that old bumblef*ck saying the Internet was a series of tubes? Stevens was literally heading the committee responsible for regulating the internet when he said that. These are a bunch of grandpas hearing about Ticky Tock for the first time and getting upset for the wrong reasons, not disruptors with any understanding of technology, let alone foresight about the upsetting potential future of apps.