Pasco County investigators notice cyber crime trend among preteens
NEW PORT RICHEY (FOX 13) - Pasco County investigators have noticed a trend of abuse between social media and preteens.
In the last two months, the Pasco County Sheriff's Cyber Investigations Unit reported the trend involving children who are being solicited online to perform sexual acts using phone apps such as Liveme, Skype and Instagram.
Investigators said, in all cases the kids were not monitored and had full control over the digital devices. In some cases, the perpetrator lived overseas, making an arrest difficult.
According to the Pew Research Center, 89% of teens use social media, and according to a 2013 Digital Future Project survey, 46% of parents have access to their children's social networking accounts.
The agency is urging and encouraging parents to closely monitor your child's internet use and cell phones.