LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Predators are finding vulnerable children through gaming platforms and social media, then manipulating and blackmailing them into increasingly dangerous acts. The FBI says active investigations are underway across the country, including in Central Florida, and parents are the first line of defense. What starts as a simple conversation online can quickly...Read More

State News: : Robocalls, Kids’ Social Media, Crime Sweep | Western Iowa Today 96.5 KSOM KS 95.7 – News for Atlantic, Audubon, Harlan, Red Oak and Western Iowa News and Information for Atlantic, Audubon, Harlan and Red Oak | Western Iowa Today ...Read More

Benjamin Morris, former interim executive director at Quad City Arts, was arrested on 30 felonies relating to child pornography Monday night. ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The former interim executive director of Quad City Arts was arrested on 30 felony child pornography charges.  33-year-old Benjamin Morris is accused of possessing and disseminating child pornography involving children...Read More

PHOENIX — The Valley-based Starbright Foundation has a warning for families about a disturbing new form of financial sextortion involving artificial intelligence. Earlier this week, ABC15 Mornings Anchor Kaley O’Kelley shared a warning about predators using social media, gaming platforms and private messaging apps to target teenage boys. Financial sextortion typically begins when someone posing...Read More

Due to the “third-strike” sentencing structure, McVeytown’s Zachary Keiser will spend his life behind bars after authorities say they found child pornography. MIFFLIN COUNTY, Pa. — A Mifflin County man has pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material in a third-strike conviction that will result in a sentence of life in prison without the...Read More

SaferWatch Anonymous School Safety Tip Line SaferWatch enables students, staff, and community members to report safety concerns—such as suspicious behavior, threats, or indicators of violence—anonymously and anytime. See something, send something. New School Safety Tip Line In keeping safety at the forefront of our district, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is introducing the SaferWatch app, an...Read More

HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that a Mifflin County man pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) — the conviction being a third-strike offense that will result in a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Zachary P. Keiser, 36, of McVeytown, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony count...Read More

Lorena Giuberti Coutinho is a commissioner at Brazil’s National Data Protection Agency (ANPD) and a Professor at IDP in Brasília. She previously worked as an economist at the OECD and contributed to the initial phase of research behind Growing Up in the Social Media Age. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own...Read More

Parents, teens weigh social media limits as experts warn of addictive design Great Britain announced in June a ban on social media use for those under the age of 16. Australia also passed a law barring children under the age of 16 from accessing major social media platforms. We look at the impact of social...Read More

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Convicted sex offender Ryan Pontello appeared in Onondaga County Court on Wednesday morning for his new child sex crime case. The defense and prosecution met again to go over what evidence would be suppressed when Pontello goes to trial in January 2027. Specifically, the defense is seeking to suppress statements Pontello made...Read More