CLEVELAND — It is hard to believe but this week marks 10 years since the Miracle in Cleveland, when Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, now known as Lily Rose Lee, were rescued from the home they were held captive in for a decade.
It's a story that rocked our city, and to this day, many of us still can't believe that after all the years spent searching for the girls, they were found so close to home. Gina and Amanda both accepted a ride with Ariel Castro, a man they knew as a kid from school's dad.
In today’s Mom Squad, Maureen Kyle talks to the FBI, who says over the last several years, they've had to change the way they investigate missing persons and that means we must change the way we teach our kids about the dangers they face.
Special agent Andy Burke says predators are finding ways to groom kids and entice them through chat features and direct messaging on games and social media.
“We set boundaries at my house about where phones go with the kids that they stay on the first floor and that's where they charge. And they're welcome to use their phones, you know, during normal hours, downstairs and text their friends,” says Burke.
But when it comes to games and apps, he recommends limiting what kids use.
“There are a lot of parents, I think, that don't understand that some of the games kids are playing these days have active chat features not only text but voice and they're communicating with people they don't know," Burke said.
Burke says a conversation you need to have with your child is explaining who you actually “know," for example, friends and relatives. And explaining that someone you meet over apps and games once or twice on the internet are not actual “friends.”
He also urges parents to really do your homework if you are letting your kids download and use apps or games. He uses an analogy of driving: you spend 50 hours in the car with your teen before they operate a car. You need to be spending time with your kids teaching them internet safety.
Watch the entire episode on WKYC-Plus which you can find on Roku and Fire TV. You can also see it on your WKYC YouTube channel or in the player below.
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