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Burnsville Incident Shows Risks Children Face On Social Media

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Charges are expected Thursday against a Burnsville man after two 13-year-old girls he met through social media spent the night at his home. The case highlights the potential risks social media can pose for kids.

On Monday night, the two 13-year-old girls disappeared from their homes in Andover. Anoka County detectives traced their social media contacts and quickly began looking for the girls.

The next day, they went to a Burnsville home where they found the girls and arrested 23-year-old Casey Lee Chinn.

The incident is serving as a reminder for parents on just how exposed children can be on social media.

Karina Hedinger is the Education Coordinator for the Minnesota BCA's Internet Crimes Against Children unit. She said parents can find the social media world overwhelming.

"Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Kik, there are so many of them out there," Hedinger said.

Hedinger says it doesn't matter if parents don't understand the social media platforms their kids are using.

"It's not about being able to use those apps, it's more about the broader conversation of who are you talking too, who are your quote friends and what information are you sharing with people over those mediums," Hedinger said.

One study found that 95 percent of all 12 to 17 year olds use the internet and that 58 percent of all 12-year-olds have a smart phone.

Even if you have rules at your house experts, say you need to realize that your child may be communicating online at friends' homes or even at school.

The single biggest danger is sharing with strangers.

"Are you letting anyone and anybody know what school you go to, what sports you play? Things like that," Hedinger said.

Anoka County investigators say Chinn and the girls had been communicating through social media for a number of weeks and that some of the contacts were sexually explicit in nature.

Experts say in many cases the initial online overtures to kids are just friendly or flattering.

"A person who is 50 years old can contact a 12-year-old if they want to. What matters is the content or the substance of the contact. Just the contact itself is not criminal," Joe Tamburino, a criminal defense attorney, said.

With the social media landscape constantly changing, talking to your kids on a regular basis is the key.

"It's extremely difficult to stay on top of the crazy ever-changing world that we live in, but that is why it is so important to have a constant line of communication open with you and your kids," Hedinger said.

While there is a lot of focus on social media, experts warn gaming on handheld devices or fixed devices, like an Xbox, is also a huge area were kids are able to communicate with people they don't know.

Chinn works as a part-time volleyball coach at Cristo Rey School in Minneapolis. The school suspended him Tuesday night.

For more resources, view the links below.

Cell Phone Safety
Safe cell phone use by children

Protecting Kids Against Cyber Stalking
National Center For Missing and Exploited Children
Tips for keeping kids safe on the Internet

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