These days, we often see young children playing with smartphones.
“They’re just playing games and sharing photos with friends” is a common refrain from many parents who are largely ignorant of the huge dangers lurking inside these seemingly small devices. is.
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As a result, after years of warning their offspring about “stranger danger,” they are now handing out a gift-wrapped time bomb that, if no safeguards are taken, could potentially be used by online criminals. Gain 24/7 access to your child.
One of those “strangers” could be a monster like 26-year-old “catfisher” Alexander McCartney.
A computer student from Northern Ireland pretended to be a girl online and tricked around 70 children, some as young as 10, into sending him intimate photos via Snapchat and other social media platforms.
He also threatened to send photos to his family if they did not act in a “degrading and humiliating” manner.
Read more from Jane Moore
Cimarron Thomas, a 12-year-old girl from West Virginia, USA, was so “horrified” and “distraught” by his despicable act that she discovered her father’s handgun in the house in May 2018 and shot herself in the head. He shot himself and committed suicide. .
She was found by her sister, and 18 months later her father, Ben, a military veteran, felt guilty that she had acquired a gun and took his own life.
Think about it for a moment.
A family is torn apart by the actions of a stranger via a smartphone.
Mr Benn died unaware of Mr McCartney’s role in his daughter’s death, but it only became clear after Northern Ireland police began investigating Mr McCartney’s online activities following a complaint from a Scottish girl. .
McCartney, of Newry, County Armagh, not only pleaded guilty to Ms Cimarron’s manslaughter, but was also charged with 184 offenses related to online extortion across the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the US. A verdict is scheduled to be handed down.
He has been held in Maghaberry Prison since 2019, and while his continued incarceration will not be a loss to society, tragically for Cimarron and the other victims he ruthlessly pursued. It’s already too late.
Smartphones have become integrated into our daily lives.
As adults, we use them to shop, bank, keep in touch with old friends, and play with words to keep our minds sharp.
So when it comes to kids wanting cell phones because all their friends are getting them, it’s hard to hold up past the beginning of middle school.
The device itself isn’t bad, but it can cause problems if it falls into the wrong hands.
A year ago, online safety legislation was enacted here in the UK.
Websites and apps must now be built with child safety in mind, and technology companies must legally protect children from harm.
It’s a minefield
However, parents must try to take all possible precautions to protect their children from the most dangerous places.
Just as an illness often causes you symptoms, so can a troubled child.
They may become withdrawn or irrationally grumpy, but it’s safe to assume that the cause (or causes) lies somewhere on their computer or smartphone.
It could be the school bully who now attacks them 24/7, it could be the “mean girl” who deliberately excludes them from their plans, or it could be the “mean girl” who asks them for nude photos. A person, or worse, a monster like McCartney, could wipe out their innocence.
Whatever it is, ask questions, encourage them to talk about it, and if necessary, install protective software or confiscate the device until the problem is resolved.
It’s a minefield, but I’m glad my kids are now adults who know how to navigate it.
Liam – Many commitments have been canceled.
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Shortly after One Direction announced they were going on hiatus, I interviewed them with my Loose Women colleague Andrea McLean.
The youngsters spoke excitedly about their plans for a break from the rigors of band life, including spending more time with their families.
Liam said with a laugh. “Bless her, my mother hasn’t stopped crying for the last five years…Now she can finally stop crying.”
My heart hurts.
Whatever happened in that hotel room in Argentina, this is a very sad ending for a promising young man, and his mother Karen, father Jeff, sisters Nicola and Ruth, and all who loved him. My heartfelt condolences to the people.
I am also very happy to speak Oz.
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Ozzy Osbourne has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the second time.
Due to his mobility issues, he was carried around the stage on a bat-shaped throne, befitting his branding as the “Prince of Darkness.”
But behind the scenes, Ozzy is one of the funniest and most refreshingly genuine people I’ve ever met.
Back in 2013, I was asked to ghostwrite his wife Sharon’s autobiography, Unbreakable, and I only had a month left to deliver.
So I moved into her and Ozzy’s LA home, followed Sharon’s every move, and chatted with her whenever I could.
My plan was to get up early every morning and write up the previous day’s notes, but the problem was that Ozzy also liked to get up early and talk. Especially because having lived in Birmingham myself, I could actually understand his nostalgic reminiscences of his fascinating life. .
For two solid weeks, I was the only person in the audience for a daily one-man show that rivaled Billy Connolly.
Well then, Ozzy, congratulations. A true ‘Great Briton’ who may live in America but whose heart (and accent) is firmly back in old Blighty.
winning women
Retired engineer David Jakins has been cleared of accusations that he used a metal replica to win the World Conquer Championship.
“It was such a relief,” says the 82-year-old from Warmington, Northants.
“We are gentlemen at the World Conquer Championship and do not cheat.”
So it’s official.
He’s the men’s champion.
However, in the grand final, she faced the women’s champion, American Kelsey Vanschbach, and lost.
Describing the early Jesuit Fathers preaching to Native American tribes in the 16th century, Rudyard Kipling wrote:
“Because females of this species are more deadly than males.”
Down due to mistake
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There’s always one, right?
Australian senator and indigenous rights activist Lydia Thorpe has disgusted many Australians with her embarrassingly childish and prolonged heckling of King Charles. King Charles loves his country so much that he travels 12,000 miles to visit it, even as he continues to undergo cancer treatment.
She should be ashamed.
No one is saying she shouldn’t have a say, but there’s a time and a place, and this wasn’t it.
Auntie Violet Sheridan, Mr Ngunnawaru’s elder statesman, said: “She does not represent me or my people” and called her a “one-off idiot”.
Meanwhile, one critic pointed out that Mr. Thorpe’s physical features resembled British “confessional” artist Tracey Emin.
Considering Thorpe’s stance in a fur cloak made of possums, Tracy Armin seems a better fit.
The crisis is growing
New NHS guidance says moving bodies could pose a health and safety issue for funeral staff due to the rise in the number of “overweight people”.
The number of Britons currently classified as severely overweight is 30%, double the level in 1993.
In his fascinating book, Unnatural Causes, retired forensic pathologist Dr. Richard Shepherd reflects on his long career dissecting bodies in morgues.
He concludes: “Body fat has increased exponentially. . . . Very few bodies have the same shape as the Dead when I started practicing in the 1980s. Looking back at forensic photographs from that time, I’m surprised that thinness was the norm back then.” Masu.”
surely. But thanks to processed food, takeaway culture and sedentary lifestyles in front of screens, we are now a fat nation costing the NHS too much.
We all need to take personal responsibility for our health, eat less and move more.
Rumor has it that Sir Keir Starmer’s purge of Downing Street’s historic portraits continues, with him now removing William Shakespeare from the walls.
Watch this space.
Is his mentor Sir Ali sitting and drawing as we speak?
Katie Price has had so much cosmetic surgery that passport scanners no longer recognize her.
Meanwhile, Face ID on my phone sometimes can’t recognize my increasingly droopy features since I haven’t had a facelift.
Now I’m completely convinced that being a woman can be difficult.
