Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

Tag: Online Predators

Guilty plea exposes scale of child exploitation by Colorado predator
No Comments
Fox31, Approved, National

Guilty plea exposes scale of child exploitation by Colorado predator

By Heather Willard | Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — A 31-year-old man from Colorado pleaded guilty this month in Indiana to dozens of counts related to sextortion of at least 68 children through social media and sex trafficking of at least five of those children. Ryan Austin Lauless, 31, of Colorado, pleaded guilty on Sept. 4 to 21 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, five counts of sex trafficking of a minor, two counts of noticing and advertising child sexual abuse material and possession of child sexual abuse material, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana. Prosecutors say that Lauless used social media apps between late 2019 and May 19, 2023, to coerce, sexually exploit and threaten at least 68 minor victims into producing thousands of sexua...
Read More
The culture war at home: How modern trends leave kids vulnerable
No Comments
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

The culture war at home: How modern trends leave kids vulnerable

By John DiGirolamo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Modern culture directly affects our society. This is not your parent’s Yoplait yogurt. The current culture’s influence is stronger than ever and is constantly evolving. Ask a typical high school student what they want to be when they grow up, and you won’t hear answers of doctor, lawyer or accountant. They dream of being an influencer. But they've already been influenced themselves. The Influence of Modern Culture The culture and its sphere of influence include several facets. Changing societal norms benefit predators. Vulnerable kids and teens correlate with an increased risk of manipulation and exploitation. Specific examples are summarized below: Unstable home life: Unsupervised children have a higher tendency to s...
Read More
Roblox isn’t a game when safety is on the line
No Comments
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

Roblox isn’t a game when safety is on the line

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice This week, two very different voices sounded the same alarm about Roblox. YouTuber Schlep says the platform banned him after he worked with law enforcement to help catch child predators. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is suing Roblox, calling it a “clear and present danger” to kids. Both are pointing to the same problem: a platform packed with children and not enough safeguards to protect them. Schlep claims his tips led to multiple arrests. Instead of a thank you, he says the company sent him a legal notice and locked him out. In a social media post, he calls himself “a survivor on a mission” and says the ban was “retaliation for exposing predators.” The screenshots he shared show Roblox accusing him of breaking the rules...
Read More
DiGirolamo: Teen sexting—What every parent needs to know
No Comments
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

DiGirolamo: Teen sexting—What every parent needs to know

By John DiGirolamo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice How Teens Make It Worse: Taylor Swift wrote that when you’re fifteen, and someone tells you they love you, you’re going to believe them. Almost twenty years later, a teen’s definition of love and what’s fun and flirty now includes sending nude images.  The number one activity where teens contribute to their own detriment is sexting. According to the nonprofit Fight the New Drug, most teens have viewed pornography, with the average age of exposure at eleven years old. If explicit images are viewed frequently and at a young age, sending and receiving nude pictures become normalized. Over 90% of teens have sent or received explicit images by the time they graduate high school. 53% of boys and 39% of girls believe pornog...
Read More
DiGirolamo: The new Terminator is disguised as your teen’s ‘AI boyfriend’
No Comments
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

DiGirolamo: The new Terminator is disguised as your teen’s ‘AI boyfriend’

By John DiGirolamo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Make The Terminator fiction again. Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that the movie was released in 1984. The Hollywood hit focused on the sinister power of artificial intelligence in the form of a killer cyborg robot who looked human.  With billions of online images, AI can use that data to easily generate realistic-looking people. It’s difficult to tell the difference between an AI created image vs. a real person. Unfortunately, people are using this powerful technology to exploit children, all while sitting in the comfort of their own chair.  Artificial intelligence has already wreaked havoc on today’s children. Digitally generated or altered images are commonly known as “deepfakes.” Here’s some examples of how ...
Read More

FD863768-0ACF-495E-9D21-2EF784DFFA6B[1]

Join us at RMV's Freedom Festival

Click Here for Tickets!

This will close in 0 seconds