By Kailee Boyle
The importance of safe social media practice starts with understanding that victims can be found in any part of the world. My first time using social media was in 2019 when I felt my most curious about the virtual world. I didn’t know that danger was less than a mile away from my house and that is how I got involved with “H”. “H” found me on Snapchat’s Quick Adds and I was drawn to the attention he gave me. He asked for my age (at the time, I was 12) and he told me he was 18. When we first started talking, he sounded like he could be my new best friend, but I quickly found that he had different interests. A few weeks after we started talking, my parents found text messages that were inappropriate for any young child to receive, and a police investigation started. By mid-2020, “H” was arrested for Online Solicitation of a Minor.
Since 2020, the court process had been slow to determine if “H” was guilty of any wrongdoing. I attended counseling sessions to help me cope with the situation and now understand that what happened wasn’t okay and that the things he said and did were unacceptable for his age. All the while, I learned not to blame myself for his wrongdoing because he was an adult, not me. As a victim, I have been given a stronger voice to know when something is consensual, and “H” does not have power over me. After 5 long years of what it felt, I finally gained justice. We attended court and without me knowing who he was I ended up sitting in the row behind him. When I realized that was him a blood rush of emotions ran through my body. Watching the person who has made me a victim, and left me with trauma plead guilty, it felt like a weight off of my shoulders. I was so glad that the lengthy investigation process was over. The person who brought me emotion and physiological issues such as Depression, Anxiety, and Trauma was finally getting what he deserved. It took me 3 years of self-reflection and counseling to understand what happened wasn’t my fault and my mission is to prevent other children from feeling like they are stuck in a tunnel. Even though victims just want the process to end, it feels like the light at the end of the tunnel never comes until one day, it does.
What I’ve learned is that once the damage is done, there’s no taking it back and actions require consequences on both sides of the courtroom. As a victim, I must relive my 5-year-old experience each time I speak about it. I want to be the voice for teens on safe social media practice, where I will educate them on the dangers of online solicitation and help them find their voices to speak up and say no to those who may be a predator just waiting for their next victim.
Here are some steps you can take to prevent becoming a victim of online solicitation.
1. Be cautious of who you are friending on any social media site.
2. If someone becomes suspicious or strange to you then remove them immediately and block them from all platforms.
3. If you are receiving inappropriate messages, images, etc then tell an adult right away.
4. It is best to keep your social media accounts private.
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Kailee Boyle is the current Miss West Texas' Teen, and this post is part of her CSI. You can find her on her title's Instagram.
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