Snapchat Responsible for Half of Online Child Grooming Cases
What? Recent stats for online child grooming cases in England found that nearly half (48%) occurred through the social media platform Snapchat. This is likely due to the app’s disappearing messages feature. The average age of victims was 13 years old, but the youngest recorded was a 5-year-old boy.
So What? Snapchat has a zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual exploitation: If reported, the content is removed, the offender’s account is disabled, steps are taken to ensure they cannot create additional accounts and they are reported to the authorities. However, predators can still slip through the cracks and cause irreparable harm.
Now What? Don’t wait for your child to become a victim. Check out Plugged In’s tutorial, “Parental Controls: Snapchat” to learn how to better protect your teens online. And be sure to talk to your kids about internet safety. If they don’t know the person in real life, then it’s probably not safe to befriend that person on social media.
The Dancing with the Stars Leg Lift Trend Can Cause Injury
What? Dancing with the Stars contestant (and former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver) Danny Amendola and his dancing partner, Witney Carson, performed a particularly difficult dance move last week that has gone viral on social media.
So What? The move involves pulling your dance partner from a lying-down position into a standing one by his or her ankle. And while it certainly looks pretty, surgeons are warning that it could result in serious injury.
Now What? You don’t necessarily have to tell your dancing teens that this is a no-go. But Dr. Rahul Shah, an orthopedic surgeon at New Jersey’s Premier Orthopedic Associates, told Daily Mail that a significant amount of core strength (in the liftee) and upper body strength (in the lifter) are crucial to performing this move. He warns that anyone with “underlying back or hip injuries” should be extra cautious if attempting to replicate it. And participants should only attempt it on stable, non-slippery surfaces.
Charli XCX’s ‘Brat Summer’ Lives On
What? Singer Charli XCX popularized the word “brat” this year with the release of her album, BRAT, in June. It sparked the terms “brat summer” and “brat autumn.” And now it’s been named the Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year.
So What? Previously, “brat” referred to a child who was “ill-mannered” or “unruly.” But because of Charli’s repurposing of the term, Collins has now added an adjectival definition: “characterized by a confident, independent and hedonistic attitude.”
Now What? Parents may have been confused this summer when their teens started using brat as an adjective and compliment as opposed to a noun and insult. But there’s an extra-cautionary note here: In an interview with the BBC, Charli’s listed “brat” items included “a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra.” And most parents probably don’t want that lifestyle glorified by teens.
The post On the Radar: Snapchat Grooming Dangers, Harmful Leg Lift Challenge and the Legacy of ‘Brat’ appeared first on Plugged In.
