Concerns over child safety on social media platforms have intensified following a series of alarming incidents involving Snapchat. In March, Tracy Heinfeld of Leeds was arrested for allegedly driving to Florida with the intent of engaging in sexual activity with a minor she contacted through Snapchat. Additionally, a Florida teenager was accused of uploading child pornography to the platform, and a Washington high school coach was sentenced to 40 years for sex crimes, with prosecutors stating that Jacob Jackson used Snapchat to groom and manipulate teens.
Titania Jordan, the Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Parent Officer of Bark Technologies, criticized Snapchat, saying, “Snapchat is the worst app of all the social media apps for children.” She added, “It allows for instant sending illegal material child nudes photos videos happening all day every day how that company is allowed to exist is far beyond me.”
Snapchat responded to the criticism by stating that it is working to protect younger users and has joined the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to launch Know2Protect, a public awareness campaign.
Ragib Hasan, a professor and director of the Center for Cyber Security at UAB, noted the surge in cybercrime, particularly extortion cases involving children. “Especially involving AI and images that’s a major threat take photo… deep fake videos… a lot of kids are posting publicly criminals all over the world have access to it,” Hasan said.
Jordan emphasized the importance of parental involvement and offered several recommendations for protecting children online. These include keeping technology out of bedrooms, maintaining open communication with children, and having ongoing conversations about the threat of predators. She advised that children under 13 should not have access to technology that distracts from real-world activities and recommended no social media for kids under 16.
Bark Technologies and other companies offer apps and smartphones that allow parents to control screen time and receive alerts if AI programs detect sexual or bullying content. Jordan concluded, “Parents, you are in control!”
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