child safety Archives

AppWizard

July 26, 2025

Kaysville woman sentenced to 6 years to life in prison for sexually abusing boy

Racquel Couch, a 39-year-old woman from Kaysville, has been sentenced to a prison term ranging from six years to life for her involvement in the sexual abuse of a 13-year-old boy in 2020. Initially charged with multiple serious offenses, including four counts of child rape and one count of sodomy, she entered a guilty plea to a single count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child as part of a plea agreement. This agreement resulted in a continuous protective order for the victim and a lifetime requirement for Couch to register as a sex offender. The abuse occurred between January and March 2020, during which Couch allegedly took the boy to secluded locations and instructed him to keep the incidents secret. She also sent nude photographs and engaged in inappropriate texting with the victim. Although she initially denied the allegations, Couch later admitted to inappropriate touching and acknowledged her position of "special trust" and "undue influence" over the boy.

AppWizard

July 14, 2025

Pixel phones are getting even better parental controls

A new "Parental controls" feature has been identified in the Android Canary build for Pixel devices, aimed at establishing digital ground rules, setting screen time limits, and filtering content for child safety. This feature was discovered on a Pixel 8 Pro and is currently non-functional. It is expected to align with the "Supervision" tools from Android 16 Beta 4. The upcoming Pixel 10 series, launching on August 20, will include the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold, all equipped with stable Android 16.

AppWizard

April 23, 2025

NJ AG sues Discord, claims the messaging app exposes kids to online predators

Law enforcement officials in New Jersey have filed a lawsuit against Discord, claiming the company misled parents about its safety controls and failed to protect children from sexual and violent content on its platform. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin stated that Discord has violated consumer protection laws, exposing children to risks from online predators. The lawsuit alleges that Discord's safety features were inadequate and that the app's claims of protecting young users were misleading. Specifically, it criticized the "Safe Direct Messaging" feature for failing to effectively detect or delete explicit content. The lawsuit seeks remedies including an injunction against further violations, civil penalties, and forfeiture of profits generated in New Jersey.

AppWizard

April 23, 2025

Florida attorney general files lawsuit against instant messaging app Snapchat

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a lawsuit against Snapchat due to concerns that the platform is being misused by predators to target minors. The lawsuit claims Snapchat violates Florida's House Bill 3, which prohibits children under 13 from creating accounts and requires parental approval for users aged 14 and 15.

AppWizard

April 17, 2025

N.J. attorney general sues Discord messaging app over child predator concerns

New Jersey has filed a lawsuit against Discord, claiming the platform fails to adequately protect underage users from predators, thus breaching the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act. The lawsuit highlights that children can easily create accounts without proper age verification, allowing adult users to contact them. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin criticized Discord's safety measures, stating they can be easily bypassed. In 2023, an NBC News investigation linked 35 cases of serious crimes to interactions on Discord. Discord’s CEO acknowledged the severity of these issues and announced updates to child safety policies, including a ban on teen dating and AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

AppWizard

April 8, 2025

Teen restrictions expand on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger

Meta is expanding its Teen Accounts initiative to Facebook and Messenger, following the initial rollout on Instagram. This expansion aims to create a safer online environment for users under 18 by automatically setting accounts to private and limiting access to certain features. The rollout begins in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, with similar protections anticipated for other regions. Current protections for Teen Accounts include restrictions on messaging with strangers, tighter controls over sensitive content, reminders to limit screen time after 60 minutes, and a sleep mode that mutes notifications overnight. Older teens can disable some protections, but users under 16 need parental permission to make changes. Meta also plans to introduce additional protections on Instagram, including restrictions on live broadcasts for minors and a feature that blurs nudity in direct messages, which also requires parental permission for users under 16.

Winsage

December 1, 2024

10 tips to set up parental controls in Windows for child safety

- Ensuring the safety of children online is crucial in today's digital landscape. - Parents can use parental control features in Windows 10 and Windows 11 to create a secure online environment. - Open communication about online dangers empowers children to make informed choices. - Advise children against sharing personal information with strangers and encourage them to report suspicious messages. - Establish individual user accounts for each child on Windows to tailor content visibility and settings. - Microsoft Family Safety provides tools to manage children's online activities, including setting screen time limits and blocking websites. - Choosing child-friendly web browsers can enhance online safety by blocking inappropriate content. - Regularly updating the computer addresses security vulnerabilities. - Web filtering can block specific websites or content categories through Microsoft Family Safety. - Home routers often have parental control features to manage internet access and content filtering. - Windows allows parents to control app access and set age limits for suitable content. - Setting daily screen time limits promotes healthy digital habits. - Monitoring online activity through Microsoft Family Safety helps parents understand their children's digital interactions.

AppWizard

November 14, 2024

Xbox AI transparency report reveals 19 million toxic messages blocked, and improved player safety in Minecraft and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Xbox's latest AI transparency report for the first half of 2024 highlights significant advancements in moderation techniques that combine artificial intelligence with human oversight. During this period, Xbox blocked over 19 million pieces of content violating its Community Standards. The moderation system employs a dual AI approach for rapid identification and classification of inappropriate messages. Xbox is also implementing advanced moderation tools in games like Minecraft and Call of Duty to reduce toxic behavior. A new 'strike system' has been introduced, where players accumulate strikes for rule violations, with escalating consequences for repeated offenses. Severe violations can lead to immediate permanent suspensions or device bans. The report emphasizes the positive role of AI in enhancing player safety and reducing the burden on human moderators.

AppWizard

October 25, 2024

Roblox to bolster child safety measures

Roblox is implementing changes to its child safety features in November, requiring parental permission for children aged 13 and under to access chat functionalities and for players aged nine and below to engage with games featuring "moderate violence or crude humour." The platform will also introduce parental accounts for guardians to monitor their children's activities. These updates respond to a report from Hindenburg Research alleging insufficient measures against child predators, which Roblox has denied, asserting the platform's security.

AppWizard

August 22, 2024

IMPD officer accused of using Kik messaging app for child porn

Javed Richards, a twelve-year veteran of the Indianapolis Metro Police Department, has been accused of uploading over forty files containing child pornography using the messaging app Kik. He allegedly used a secured email domain to conceal his activities. Kik reported his suspicious behavior to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in July. Richards has been arrested and charged with twelve counts of child exploitation, and the police chief has recommended his termination. He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.