Experts warn parents after man arrested for allegedly soliciting kids on social media

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A Nashville man is charged with sex crimes against children after authorities said he was soliciting children through social media.

The man is accused of using Snapchat and Kik to target the children. Those are just two of the apps police said people are using to target kids.

One family shares what they did to handle social media in their household.

Dave Landeo has two girls entering their second year of college.

“When they were in elementary school, we didn’t give them phones until middle school. That’s when we gave them their phones and saw what they were looking at,” Landeo said.

They also gave their children rules to follow.

“We would take their phones up at night and charge them downstairs, so they didn’t have it all night long,” he said.

They also felt as parents it was important to not stifle their creativity.

“They want to become animators and they’re very creative so as far as that they’re actually using it (social media) for their advantage now,” Landeo said.

Retired FBI agent and author Scott Augenbaum said the Landeos did it exactly right.

“Do you know what your kids are doing online? It’s a question I ask all the time we have to educate ourselves,” Augenbaum said.

After education, he said talk to your kids.

“We are all looking for a technical solution for a parenting issue. If you go out and buy all these different types of software the kids are going to figure out a way to get around it,” Augenbaum said.

He said without these parameters, the effects of these types of crimes on children is detrimental.

“It doesn’t have to happen. Educate. Take the steps and realize the threat is real,” he said.

Augenbaum said The National Center for Missing and Exploited Kids website is a great resource to help parents stay current on the latest social media trends.

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