📱 DEAR PARENTS: YOUR CHILD'S SOCIAL MEDIA CAN TURN INTO A FELONY REAL QUICK

730 BOOM RADIO | DEAR PARENTS

Dear Parents,

We need to talk.

Not about grades.

Not about whether the homework is finished.

Not about who left dishes in the sink.

We need to talk about what your children are doing on their phones when you aren't looking.

Because a 13-year-old boy in Oswego is now facing felony charges after police say social-media posts crossed the line from foolish behavior into alleged threats and racial harassment.

Thirteen.

Not 18.

Not 21.

THIRTEEN YEARS OLD.

According to Oswego police, the boy allegedly shared Snapchat messages involving two other 13-year-old boys. Police said the content was racial and threatening in nature.

Authorities ultimately filed charges including felony hate crime, felony disorderly conduct and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

The teenager appeared in juvenile court and was released pending another court appearance.

And parents, this is exactly why "kids being kids" cannot be the excuse for everything.

📲 CHECK. THEIR. PHONES.

Your child may know more about Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and disappearing messages than you do.

That's fine.

You're still the parent.

Ask questions.

Know who they're talking to.

Pay attention to what they're posting.

Learn the apps they're using.

And please stop assuming that because your child is sitting quietly in their bedroom, they're not getting into anything.

Baby, the trouble ain't always outside anymore.

The trouble got Wi-Fi.

A child can be sitting ten feet away from you, under your roof, eating the groceries YOU bought, using the internet YOU pay for and creating a situation online that could follow them into a courtroom.

🚨 "I WAS JUST JOKING" MAY NOT SAVE THEM

Children need to understand something very clearly:

Posting something online doesn't magically become harmless because you call it a joke afterward.

According to the families of the boys targeted in this case, the Snapchat material allegedly included photos of the boys, racial slurs, degrading comments and threats.

Those are serious allegations.

And now law enforcement is involved.

Parents need to teach children that the internet is not an imaginary world without consequences.

Screenshots exist.

Screen recordings exist.

Messages get forwarded.

Friends become former friends.

And that little post somebody thought would disappear can suddenly become Exhibit A.

🗣️ TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT RACISM TOO

And yes, we're going there.

Talk to your children about race.

Talk to them about racial slurs.

Talk to them about hate.

Talk to them about why degrading another child because of the color of their skin isn't funny, edgy or entertainment.

Don't wait until a principal, police officer, attorney or judge has to teach the lesson.

Teach it at home.

Because somewhere there are also two 13-year-old boys whose parents had to explain why another child was allegedly posting racist and threatening material about them.

They're children too.

Their fear matters.

Their dignity matters.

Their safety matters.

👀 "BUT MY CHILD WOULD NEVER..."

Parents...

Every parent wants to believe that.

But loving your child doesn't require pretending they're incapable of making terrible decisions.

Check anyway.

Talk anyway.

Listen anyway.

Correct them anyway.

Because discovering something uncomfortable on your child's phone today is a whole lot easier than discovering it while sitting beside an attorney tomorrow.

🎙️ LADY RED'S MESSAGE TO PARENTS

Your child's phone isn't a babysitter.

Social media isn't raising these babies.

WE ARE.

So don't be scared to parent.

Know the password.

Know the apps.

Know the friends.

Know what's being posted.

And when something doesn't look right, ADDRESS IT.

Your child might get mad.

They might slam a door.

They might tell you you're doing too much.

They might hit you with the legendary:

"Everybody else's mama lets them!"

Okay.

Then everybody else's mama can pay everybody else's lawyer.

Because over here?

WE CHECKING PHONES.

The 13-year-old in this case has been charged, but the allegations have not been proven in court. Because he is a minor, authorities have not publicly identified him.

But regardless of how this particular case ultimately ends, parents everywhere can take something from it:

The internet may feel temporary to a child. The consequences may not be.

Talk to your babies.

Teach your babies.

Watch your babies.

And remind them that what they type behind a screen can eventually meet them face-to-face in the real world.

Love, Lady Red ❤️

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