Police officer warns parents about online predators targeting kids
A Lakeville police school resource officer told the city council this week that criminals are actively hunting children on popular social media platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok. Officer Christine Good urged parents to monitor their children's online activity and set firm digital boundaries to protect them from exploitation.
Officer Good, who works at Meuire Century Middle School and Kenwood Trail Middle School, presented a presentation focused on internet safety threats facing young people. She emphasized that predators use a wide range of platforms—from social media apps to gaming sites like Roblox and Minecraft—to target minors.
The officer stressed that parents have both the right and responsibility to monitor their children's phones and online accounts. "Your kids' phones belong to you. Even if they pay for it, you are their guardian," Good said. She advised parents to check passwords, verify friend requests, and use parental control technologies to keep tabs on their children's digital lives.
Good also highlighted a critical concept for young people to understand: anything posted online is permanent. "Things that we post online are accessible forever," she said, noting that digital content can always be accessed later, even if deleted.
A key challenge facing parents is the rapid pace of technological change. Good pointed out that children are often ahead of adults in adopting new tools like ChatGPT and emerging apps. She recommended that parents actively learn about the platforms their children use rather than remaining in the dark about these technologies.
The presentation underscored the importance of balancing safety with age-appropriate independence. Good made clear that protecting children from online predators is not an invasion of privacy but a parental duty. She encouraged parents to set expectations around internet safety rules and enforce consequences when children don't comply.
Our proprietary artificial intelligence agent analyzed publicly available documents including meeting agendas, minutes, and transcripts to write this story to help inform local residents. Feedback helps us improve, so please consider rating how we did with the thumbs up or down below.
Go deeper on this topic
Research related meeting documents and build a brief — without rewriting the story.
Full analysis
Criminals use online platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, Tik Tok, um any kind of gaming platform, Roblox, Minecraft, you name it to commit crimes and prey on kids.
Things that we post online are accessible forever. So, if somebody puts something out online, it's another important thing to remember that it can always be accessed.
Your kids' phones belong to you. Even if they pay for it, you are their guardian. You can take the phone away if they are not complying with your internet safety rules. And you need to set those expectations for them and follow through if they don't comply.
Your kids do not have privacy from you in that aspect. You are tasked with keeping them safe and making sure that you know what they're doing online.
Kids are way ahead of adults these days. Um, utilizing things like chat GPT and other apps that are just evolving quicker than we can keep up with.
Source document
[0:00] Hi there. I am Officer Christine Good.
[0:02] I'm the school resource officer for the
[0:05] middle schools Meuire Century and
[0:07] Kenwood Trail Middle School. I'm here
[0:09] today to talk about prevention and
[0:11] things that parents can do to keep their
[0:13] kids safe on the internet and social
[0:15] media. One thing really important to
[0:17] remember is that criminals use online
[0:20] platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram,
[0:23] Tik Tok, um any kind of gaming platform,
[0:26] Roblox, Minecraft, you name it to commit
[0:30] crimes and prey on kids. And also they
[0:33] will and they do pretend to be someone
[0:36] they're not just to get in to become
[0:39] friends with kids. And they also pray on
[0:42] adults and elderly alike. things that we
[0:44] post online are accessible forever. So,
[0:47] if somebody puts something out online,
[0:49] it's another important thing to remember
[0:51] that it can always be accessed. Kids
[0:53] need to be very, very careful about what
[0:55] they post. A reminder for parents, your
[0:57] kids' phones belong to you. Even if they
[1:00] pay for it, you are their guardian. You
[1:03] can take the phone away if they are not
[1:05] complying with your internet safety
[1:07] rules. and you need to set those
[1:09] expectations for them and follow through
[1:12] if they don't comply. Follow your kids
[1:14] on social media if you allow them to
[1:16] have accounts. Don't let them have
[1:18] friends that they don't know in person
[1:21] or accept friend requests. Make sure
[1:23] that you have all of your kids passwords
[1:25] for their social media accounts. Check
[1:27] those accounts randomly and often. Your
[1:30] kids do not have privacy from you in
[1:33] that aspect. you are tasked with keeping
[1:36] them safe and making sure that you know
[1:38] what they're doing online. Utilize
[1:40] features that lock down the phone um
[1:42] such as life 360s um or screen time
[1:45] limits. Uh I also with my daughter I
[1:48] actually have her plug in her phone to
[1:50] charge overnight. She does not have it
[1:52] alone in her room overnight. Also talk
[1:54] with kids about the new apps that
[1:57] they're using. Uh, kids are way ahead of
[1:59] adults these days. Um, utilizing things
[2:02] like chat GPT and other apps that are
[2:05] just evolving quicker than we can keep
[2:07] up with. So, it's a good idea to keep up
[2:09] with them and share that with them.
Was this story helpful?
Other Topics from This Document
Parental Oversight and Device Management
Emerging Technology Awareness and Parental Education
Want to know when new stories arrive?
Enter your email to receive updates.
We will not use your email for any other purpose. You can unsubscribe at any time.