Child Abuse Prevention Month Begins with SafePath Kick-Off Event

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Cobb County, Ga.’s SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center wasted no time getting started on April’s Child Abuse Prevention Month activities, holding a kick-off event Friday morning.  Attended by a large crowd of parents, police officials, and politicians braving the cold spring weather, the event shone a light on the importance of preventing child abuse. The Walker School’s Lower School Chorus warmed up the crowd with a song before turning it over to a succession of speakers, including WSB-TV anchor Linda Stouffer and state Rep. Stacey Evans (D-Smyrna). SafePath Board President Ed Lee spoke first, reminding the audience that child abuse prevention is an “active process.”

It’s important to keep our eyes open and watch for signs of abuse, he said, a message that Rep. Evans reiterated. “We need to talk to our friends and colleagues about getting involved,” Rep. Evans said. Child abuse is often a self-perpetuating cycle, Evans said.  Thirty percent of abused children will grow up to abuse their own children, so it is even more important to stop the violence now.

Amid Debate, Abercrombie Reconsiders Selling Pushup Bras to 7-Year-Olds

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Abercrombie and Fitch, feeling the pressure after a barrage of complaints and criticisms, has rethought its effort to market push-up bikini tops to pre-pubescent girls.  The swimsuit in question was sold through Abercrombie Kids (referred to as “prep school for Abercrombie and Fitch” on their Facebook page), a brand that markets to kids aged 7 to 14. A week after blog Sociological Images -- written by sociology professor Lisa Wade -- highlighted what it called the “sexualization of young girls,” Abercrombie Kids posted this statement on its Facebook page:

“We've re-categorized the Ashley swimsuit as padded,” the statement said.  “We agree with those who say it is best ‘suited’ for girls age 12 and older.”

The bikini in question is no longer for sale on the Abercrombie Kids’ website. A surprisingly heated debate arose within the comments section of the Facebook post as consumers of pre-pubescent bikinis debated the semantic differences of the store’s bikini descriptions. In response to another commenter, a Facebook user identifying herself as Renee Johnson wrote, “I never said it was a push-up.

A Sad Tale of Sexting

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See this story in Sunday's New York Times of 14-year-old Margarite's mistake in 2010 that led to her own humiliation and altered the lives of so many around her.

Abusive Teenage Relationships on the Rise

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Thompson High School student Shakira Hudson was 15 when she was killed.  Audrey Atkinson of Covington was 19. Jasmine Harris of Atlanta was 17 and pregnant. All three died in 2010. Boyfriends or ex-boyfriends were charged with their murders. The girls' deaths were among 130 recorded by the Georgia Commission on Family Violence and the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence in the 2010 Georgia Domestic Violence Fatality Report, the largest number of such homicides since the first annual report in 2003.

Facebook is Banning 20,000 Underage Kids Every Day

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It’s no secret that kids love social networking sites like Facebook.  But a new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that many of those kids aren’t supposed to be there at all. It turns out that tens of thousands of them are too young to be lingering in this cyber-hangout.  The report says that 46 percent of 12-year-olds in the United States are on Facebook despite the fact the social media site expressly prohibits anyone under the age of 13. The problem with that, of course, is that all a young person has to do is lie about his or her age. And, apparently that's what a lot of them do. In fact, the Daily Telegraph in Australia reports that Facebook is kicking some 20,000 youngsters off the site a day.

Many Kids Don’t Understand the Legal Risks of Facebook

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A recent Australian study suggests that many kids don’t understand the legal risks of social networking sites such as Facebook.  Thirty percent of Victoria, Australia middle-grade children surveyed did not believe there was any legal liability associated with social media sites.  Legal risks include potential defamation and harassment, among others. With more than 93 percent of kids regularly using Facebook, and 73 percent of students surveyed reporting “unwelcome” contact by strangers through social networking sites, researchers recommend integrating social media education into school curricula. “Little attention has been given to the potential legal risks that children and young people may face when using social networking sites,” said Dr. Michael Henderson, a co-author of the study. You can read the full report here.

Depressed Dads More Likely to Spank Says New Study

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Fathers suffering from depression are more likely to spank their children and less likely to read to them, a new study finds.  The research, published in Pediatrics, found that 41 percent of fathers with depression hit their child in the last month, nearly three times as frequently as fathers who weren’t depressed,  ScienceDaily reported. The University of Michigan Health System study looked at 1,746 fathers of one-year-old children.  Of those, 7 percent were diagnosed with depression.  Depressed fathers were also less likely to read to their children.  Forty-one percent of depressed dads read to their kids at least three times per week compared with 58 percent of fathers without depression. "This study is important because it demonstrates that depression in fathers has very tangible effects on how those fathers interact with their young children," said Sarah Clark, one of the authors of the study. You can read more information here.

Police Bust “Largest Online Pedophile Network in the World”

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Police busted a major online pedophile network, making 184 arrests and rescuing 230 children worldwide, according to The New York Post.  Led by Europol, the three-year investigation known as Operation Rescue made arrests in more than a dozen countries, including the United States, Canada and Australia. The network was centered on a website, since taken down, called boylover.net hosted on a server in The Netherlands.  The site was used as a meeting place for adults interested in sex with young boys. "I can confirm that this is one of the most successful police operations in recent years in what is probably the largest online pedophile network in the world," Europol director Rob Wainwright said. Police have identified more than 600 suspects and expect to make more arrests in the future.

Parents Are Teen’s Best Tool for Preventing Binge Drinking, Study Says

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Parental attention is the best way to prevent teen binge drinking, according to a thesis from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.  But, boys and girls differ in what form of attention works best, says the thesis’ author, Anna-Karin Danielsson.  Girls need close, loving relationships with their parents while boys usually require parents who keep tabs on where they are and who they are with. Danielsson studied 1,200 kids ranging in age from 13 to 19, according to Science Daily.  Kids showing warning signs of risky behavior were less likely to engage in binge drinking after their parents intervened.

Live Conversation on Bullying on Facebook from the White House Today

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In conjunction with President Obama and First Lady Michelle's Conference on Bullying Prevention, Facebook DC Live will host a live conversation from the White House about "how we can all work together to make the Internet safer and promote a culture of shared responsibility and of strong digital citizenship." It starts today at 12:00pm EST. Guests Include:

Facebook Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan: Joe, a former federal prosecutor and founding member of the Justice Department's Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Units, oversees safety and security for Facebook's more than 500 million active users. Melody Barnes: Melody is the President’s Domestic Policy Advisor and the Director of the Domestic Policy Council, which coordinates the domestic policy-making process in the White House. Stephanie Cutter: Stephanie is Assistant to the President and Deputy Senior Advisor at the White House.