by Rachel Ellis
A man whose brother was abducted and killed before he was born is speaking out after the Simpsonville eleven year old drove two hundred miles to Charleston early Monday morning. The boy told police he planned to live with a man he met on Snapchat.
The eleven year old took his brother’s car and got lost on Rutledge Street when his GPS went out. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said this is just one of many cases where there are many unanswered questions.
“You know you read the headlines and you think that’s where it’s going to be the worst and then you start getting the details and your head spins,” said Callahan Walsh, son of John Walsh, who founded the center.
He said it’s crucial for parents to know what their kids are doing online.
“There’s three things I always tell parents. One is know the technology. Get on those apps yourself and try to figure out how they work and you know see what apps your children are using. Number two is set ground rules and stick to them. Especially if there’s been bad behavior in the past. And number three is have ongoing conversations with your kids about safety,” said Walsh.
Walsh also added that online encounters have gone up and said it sometimes can be hard to keep track of the many apps that are right at our fingertips.
“It can be very difficult to provide parents with specific tips on specific apps because it’s sort of like whack a mole there. When one pops up it becomes popular and then three more like it pop up. so there’s always a constant landscape that’s changing. there’s always new apps with new features coming out,” said Walsh.
A man whose brother was abducted and killed before he was born is speaking out after the Simpsonville eleven year old drove two hundred miles to Charleston early Monday morning. The boy told police he planned to live with a man he met on Snapchat.
The eleven year old took his brother’s car and got lost on Rutledge Street when his GPS went out. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said this is just one of many cases where there are many unanswered questions.
“You know you read the headlines and you think that’s where it’s going to be the worst and then you start getting the details and your head spins,” said Callahan Walsh, son of John Walsh, who founded the center.
He said it’s crucial for parents to know what their kids are doing online.
“There’s three things I always tell parents. One is know the technology. Get on those apps yourself and try to figure out how they work and you know see what apps your children are using. Number two is set ground rules and stick to them. Especially if there’s been bad behavior in the past. And number three is have ongoing conversations with your kids about safety,” said Walsh.
Walsh also added that online encounters have gone up and said it sometimes can be hard to keep track of the many apps that are right at our fingertips.
“It can be very difficult to provide parents with specific tips on specific apps because it’s sort of like whack a mole there. When one pops up it becomes popular and then three more like it pop up. so there’s always a constant landscape that’s changing. there’s always new apps with new features coming out,” said Walsh.
