FARMINGTON—Kids have a lot of access to apps and other social media on their cell phones. Most things are good but others can be a gateway to very dangerous predators if parents don’t keep a close eye on what their child is doing and who they’re talking to. After two recent arrests of offenders who were coming to Utah expressly to engage in sexual activity with a minor and a dozen more arrests in the past year, the Davis County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) is warning parents to be vigilant in protecting their children.

“It only takes a couple of clicks,” said Stephanie Dinsmore, Media & Community Engagement Manager for the Davis County Sheriff's Office. “Every day we’re seeing the ugly side of social media. I remember as a teen myself that everything was new and exciting and it wasn’t often I had a discussion with my parents.”

New apps are coming out all the time, she said. “They target Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Parents need to do a deep dive into the types of apps that are being used.”

Take their phone away at night, said Dinsmore. “Monitor their activity and the things they’re looking at. Kids are good at disguising things like hiding photos in notes. You’d never think to look in notes for that information.”

Dinsmore said one case they investigated was a situation where a teen was targeted on social media. “He thought he was engaging with a fellow teen. He discovered they were using photos he’d sent to that account. He felt comfortable enough to go to his parents and say, ‘I’m in trouble. They want $1,000 from me or they said they’ll ruin my life.’”

DCSO is not seeing a decline in these types of cases, she said. “In fact we’re seeing more. Teen boys fall prey to this every day. Boys more often than girls. Boys are trusting that it’s a young female and they want to have their attention. Girls are more about conversations.”

Some predators work on the relationship over several months, said Dinsmore. “Others as soon as the photos are sent it’s like a light switch, the teen immediately receives an extortion demand.”

Many teens don’t know they’re meeting up with an adult, she said. “They’re crafty on how they target them. Kids think if they’re friends with my friends they must go to a fellow school. A child is vulnerable and so naive about it that they allow the connection to occur.”

Parents need to make sure their child is comfortable coming to them, Dinsmore said. “Often it is within their social circle. They have to feel that no matter what happens they can talk to you and they won’t get in trouble.”

The reality is that if a child is old enough to have a cell phone, they’re old enough to have a conversation about real consequences, she said. “If you’ve gone the route of a cell phone for pre-teens or teens as a way to keep in touch, keep it very limited and monitor it. As a parent (of young kids) that’s the route I’ll take especially with the things I’ve seen in my short time here.”

Parents sometimes have a difficult time taking these recommendations, said Dinsmore. “They feel their kids are mature enough but I would recommend they don’t give them free range.”

Society underestimates the depravity of people to victimize children, she said. “People target children – it’s disgusting. The majority of the cases we’re handling are in the realm of social media.”

Have an open conversation, Dinsmore said. “Let your kids know this is a safe space. Monitor their cell phones and be aware of their apps. Know what your kids are looking at every single day.”

The Sheriff’s Office has been offering an internet safety class for parents and their children 12 and older and will continue to hold them throughout the year. Watch the DCSO Facebook page for upcoming events.

Some of the cases come through the ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) Taskforce, said Dinsmore. “Some are from victims that come forward. I can’t even imagine the figure of people who have suffered at the hands of predators that we don’t know about. It’s terrifying.”