Tristyn Bailey’s parents joined law enforcement last week to host an eye-opening seminar on the dangers of social media for youngsters.
Held at Tocoi Creek High School on Thursday, the seminar drew a crowd of parents — some of whom brought their kids — to delve into the cascading risks posed online.
Tristyn’s father, Forrest Bailey, said social media played a significant role in her 2021 killing at the hands of fellow teen Aiden Fucci — and its aftermath.
“For us to drive out the ignorance we have of dangers, we need knowledge,” Bailey said.
The family was joined by St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Benjamin Luedke and SJSO Major Crimes Unit Detectives Cheyenne Kroul and Alan Daniels.
Luedke cautioned parents that kids can conceal dangerous apps in widgets that disguise them as benign functions like calculators.
The Jacksonville-based agent said that if your kids are playing games like Roblox or Fortnite — and they probably are — then they’re likely interacting with complete strangers.
Predators, he said, gather in these cyber-shadows and pose as teens — sometimes with deadly consequences.
Bad actors will seek to coax nude or compromising images from kids online and then extort them. There have been several high profile cases where victims have taken their own lives out of shame.
The scheme has become so pervasive, he said, that law enforcement can barely keep pace.
Det. Cole said that many kids are under the impression that photos and videos they post on apps like Snapchat vanish after a certain period.
But the company, she said, stores the materials permanently.
A kindergarten teacher in the crowd told the panel that the kids she sees being exposed to social media are getting younger and younger.
“I know they are learning TikTok dances, I know they play Fortnite before bed,” she said. “How can I as a teacher make these parents aware? I don’t think parents especially parents of my 5-year-olds understand the dangers of social media.”
Forrest Bailey urged parents to monitor their kids social media closely.
“Every kid has to have a device now and yet we don’t know the dangers of it,” he said. “I can tell you I never want another dad to ever have to feel the way that I did and I never want to see anyone else go through and watch what my wife goes through. So this is a message I think has to be out there.”
Parents are encouraged to attend a second seminar scheduled for this week.
October 24, 6pm-8pm
Bartram Trail HS
7399 Longleaf Pine Parkway St. Johns, FL 32259
Fucci ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison for the crime.
