CCCAC Seminar Current Trends/Local Issues

1. CCCAC SeminarCurrent Trends/Local Issues Maggie & Monica’s House February 19, 2015

2. Instructor • Alvaro Garcia • Police Chief, Palm Valley PD • 956-778-1391

3. Objectives • Identify current technological trends in which children may become victims of abuse • Identify local issues concerning the use of synthetic drugs among children • Indentify the various Texas Penal Code offenses involved in child abuse investigations

4. Technological Trends

6. Facebook • While many people have used Facebookto do some good, a small portion of the service's 901 million diverse users has been using the social network to do the complete opposite. • A disturbing recent investigation uncovered the "dark underbelly of Facebook," a community of members who blatantly promote and share child pornography using their personal Facebook accounts and Facebook groups • To be sure, while the content can be found on Facebook, it was posted by third-party users of the site and violates Facebook's terms of use.

7. Facebook • PTHC (pre-teen hardcore porn) • 12 to 13 Boy Sex • Gangbanging • Incest • Bl-wjob Fan Page • Tiny nude teens

8. Craigslist • Pedophiles/child molesters have been known to use the person ads to solicit victims • Human traffickers use personal ads to post prostitution ads for trafficked women, many of whom are underage

9. Craigslist • According to a new study in Management Information Systems Quarterly, the entry of online classified service Craigslist into a local market led to, on average, a 16% increase in the number of reported HIV cases • “Our study results suggest that there is a new social route of HIV transmission that is taking place in this digital era,” said Jason Chan, an Assistant Professor of Information and Decision Sciences at the Carlson School of Management • “Health care practitioners and policymakers have to look more closely at online platforms to assess how its usage may facilitate the spread of HIV and STDs across the country.”

11. Backpage • At least 10% of the ads under “Escorts” section of the site involve minors between the ages of 12 and 17 • Most are illegally trafficked

15. Instagram • Like Facebook, Instagram is full of unsavory individuals trying to contact others without knowing them • There have been instances reported of kids being contacted by pedophiles trying to get their hands on photos of young girls • They mask themselves as some type of legitimate business like a radio station running a contest, knowing that this is sure to lure young people.

16. Instagram • Yet another disadvantage is that Instagram’s revised policy states that it retains all the rights to photos posted through it • For example, if a child is posting photos of himself or herself, Instagram can sell that photo without asking permission from the child or the parents • It has no obligation to even pay the person who took the photograph • In other words, once a photo is posted on Instagram, it belongs to them!

18. KIK • KIK is a super quick instant messaging app with over 100 million users that allow teens to exchange videos, pics, and sketches • New Kik cards allow user send Youtube videos, create memes, and gifs without leaving the app • Kik Cards reached over 2 million users within first week of their launch.

19. KIK • Teens are using the Kik app for sexting and dating • Teens are sending nude selfies to one another through the app • The term sex buddy is being replaced with Kik Buddy • Teens used Reddit and other forum sites to place classified ads for sex by giving out their Kik usernames • Kik does not offer any parental controls. Additionally, there is no way of authenticating users thus making it easy for pedophiles to use the messenger app.

20. Top 5USA Today (2-6-15) • Snapchat • Tinder • Vine • Whisper • 9Gag

21. Snapchat • Snapchat is the number one sexting app on the market • Teens send nude snaps to their significant others under the impression that snaps self-destruct • Forensic experts have stated the snaps can easily be recovered thus they are never truly deleted from the receiver’s phone • Due to the countless number of nude snaps, porn sites have popped up over the internet to take advantage of the free content.

22. Snapchat • Picture-messaging app • Messages last only for a few seconds once they're opened. Then the messages supposedly evaporate into thin air. (In theory, you can send embarrassing or risque pictures without being afraid of someone stealing them or distributing them) • Unfortunately, the claim that Snapchat makes it safe to send risque pictures is just plain wrong.

23. Snapchat • Easy for anyone to grab a screenshot of the image before it's deleted • October 2014 hackers got their hands on thousands of "deleted" Snapchat images that had been stored on third-party servers • Teens use Snapchat for innocent picture-conversations with each other • If a teen is using Snapchat, parents should ask them to show you how they're using it and make sure they only communicate people that they know • They should realize the pictures they send don't just vanish forever. Remind them, "Once on the Internet, always on the Internet!"

24. Tinder • Tinder is all about meeting new romantic partners, which probably isn't something you want your teen doing with strangers. • Tinder allows a person to create a profile and see images of potential romantic matches in the immediate area. The person can choose whether they're interested in another user or not. If two people like each other, then they can have a conversation through the app and potentially "hook up."

25. Tinder • Actually, underage teens aren't even supposed to be using this app. The only way to get on the app is to have a Facebook account with a birth date that indicates the user is over 18 years of age. Of course, it is just a simple keyboard entry for a child to set any birth date they wish. There is no verification of the user's age claim. • Any child who ends up on the app will be meeting people who are over legal age. They might come across predators, scammers and any variety of creeps that no one should have to deal with. • In short, Tinder is dangerous for kids. Keep them away from it.

26. Vine • Seems like a totally safe app at first. It gets dangerous when you consider how strong peer pressure is on social media. • Teens will do almost anything for acceptance and attention. The best way to get attention on social media is to do something edgy or crazy. Last year, in the most dramatic example yet, teens across the world took to setting themselves on fire. • The #FireChallenge hashtag was one of the most popular in August.

27. Vine • In response to this, Vine just released the Vine Kids app, which features hand-selected videos that are supposed to be appropriate for younger audiences. Unlike the real Vine app, Vine Kids can't record videos • If a child does use Vine, or any social media site, parents should friend, follow or join them on it to monitor what they're doing and saying • Checking their phone to confirm which apps they have installed, or even review their activity on the site, are also good ideas.

28. Whisper • App built specifically for spreading rumors and secrets. It lets users post pictures and text anonymously. Apps like Whisper could potentially be a good outlet for teens as anonymous confessions can help people unburden themselves. • However, Whisper shares the secrets based on geographic location, so the users nearest to you are the ones more likely to see your secret. If a child reveals too much, it can put them in a dangerous situation with friends or adversaries.

29. Whisper • The most dangerous apps for teens use GPS tracking to bring people physically together. Cyberbullying is much more hurtful when the person bullying your child moves from online to in-person abuse. In this case, Whisper seems like it could cause teens more harm than good.

30. 9Gag • One of the most popular apps to distribute memes and pictures online. The risky part for teens lies within the fact that all kinds of pictures are shared on 9Gag. These pictures aren't moderated and could come from any uploader and feature terrible images you don't want kids seeing • Not only that, but some 9Gag users are cyberbullies and abuse other users online • Many of the people guilty of "swatting," or getting the police to raid an innocent person's house, come from 9Gag.

32. Ask.fm • Ask.fm is one of the hottest social networking sites that is almost exclusively used by teenagers and pre-teens • 25% of teens have posted something on ask.fm over the past 30 days • It is a question and answers site that allows user to ask anonymous questions • Ask.Fm has Twitter and Facebook integration that allows users to connect with all their friends on those popular sites.

33. Ask.fm • Due to intense bullying, Ask.fm has led to 4 documented cases of suicide in the United States, Ireland, and Great Britain • Users engage in hyper bullying by constantly asking inappropriate and derogatory questions • The app is totally anonymous and is not being monitored by the developers.

37. Parental Vigilance • The key for parents is to monitor downloaded apps on their child’s phone or mobile device • Google the apps to learn if they are dangerous or inappropriate • Parents should gather passwords and user names for monitoring purposes and communicate with their child about why they are monitoring their activity on their mobile device.

38. TEXAS HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE

39. Synthetic Drugs • DSHS placed five synthetic cannabinoid substances in Schedule I of the Texas Schedules of Controlled Substances, making it illegal to manufacture, distribute, possess and sell the substances. Penalties for the manufacture, sale or possession of K2 are Class A or B misdemeanors.

41. Synthetic Drugs • K2 or Spice, often marketed as herbal incense, contain substances that produce psychoactive effects similar to those from smoking marijuana. These marijuana-like substances are readily available through smoke shops, gas stations and the Internet.

42. Synthetic Drugs • Following the DEA's action, DSHS is required by state law to place the substances on the Texas Schedules of Controlled Substances unless the commissioner objects.Schedule I, the most restrictive category on the Texas Schedules of Controlled Substances, is reserved for unsafe, highly abused substances with no accepted medical use. Five chemicals, JWH -018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47,497, and cannabicyclohexanol that are found in K2 were placed on the Schedule. • Penalties for the manufacture, sale or possession of K2 are outlined in Section 481.119 of the Texas Controlled Substances Act.

44. Bath Salts • Abusing bath salts -- through smoking, injecting or snorting - can produce intense and frequently dangerous side effects. Violence, paranoia, suicidal tendencies and psychotic behavior are common reactions.

45. Bath Salts • The illegal chemicals Methylenedioxypyrovalerone and Mephedrone, known on the street as MDPV, are considered man-made cocaine. Having or selling "bath salts" that contain MDPV is now a felony. The quantity of "bath salts" found during an arrest determines what type of felony charge is applied.

46. Bath Salts • Possession of less than one gram of "bath salts" is a state jail felony. Having one to four grams constitutes a second-degree felony. A first-degree charge applies to quantities of 4 to 400 grams.

48. MDMA • Also known as: “Ecstasy,” “Molly,” “E,” “XTC,” “X,” “Adam,” “hug,” “beans,” “clarity,” “lover's speed,” and “love drug”

49. MDMA • MDMA, short for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, is most commonly known as “Ecstasy” or “Molly.” It is a manmade drug that produces energizing effects similar to the stimulant class amphetamines as well as psychedelic effects, similar to the hallucinogen mescaline. MDMA is known as a “club drug” because of its popularity in the nightclub scene, at “raves” (all-night dance parties), and music festivals or concerts.