Keep Those Kids Off The Internet!

Kids these days are finding all sorts of ways to get in trouble when they log on to Facebook or OMG! over the latest YouTube video or Twitter rumor. 
I found two cases that illustrate this:

A teenage girl is in legal trouble because she poisoned her parents' milkshakes. Why? Because the parents wouldn't let her access the Internet after 10 p.m., thereby rendering them, in her opinion, way too strict and behind the times.

So, she had to something to ensure she got on line.

Don't trust your kid when she give you a milkshake
after you restrict her Internet access

The parents had noticed the milkshakes tasted odd. They then passed out, and really suspected a problem when they woke up the next morning. They had their blood tested for drugs, and sure enough, there it was.

After all this is sorted out, I don't think the parents will loosen their Internet viewing rules for the kid, but that's just a guess.

Which is probably good for all of us. I'm sure the same girl texts while driving, posts Mean Girl attacks on the school nerd all over social media, and illegally downloads every grunt and burp Justin Beiber ever issued.

The second case of teenagers amok on line involves a teenage boy who drove drunk, got involved in a hit and run, came home and then told all his friends about his escapades on Facebook, according to television station KGW in Portland, Oregon.

Jacob Cox-Brown, 18,  spent New Year's Day in jail. Not the way to start 2013

The Facebook post he wrote was pretty sad: "Drivin drunk...classic ;) but to whoever's vehicle i hit i am sorry :P"

Trouble is, police these days tend to spend a lot of time on Facebook, looking into the very public lives of people the suspect of wrongdoing.

Interestingly, though, the kid is only being charged with the hit and run stuff. An admission on Facebook is not enough to win a conviction on a drunken driving charge, local police told KGW.

After all these years of warnings, I am stunned, stunned that people don't understand that stuff you put out on social media is read by people other than your friends. Is anyone at all surprised that police check out Facebook posts and Twitter when trying to solve crimes?

I bet your local town cop has "friended" everybody who now resides in the county jail, just to keep tabs.

Hint: I'm a journalist, and if I want to find out things about people I'm writing about, one thing I do is see if I can find  their musings on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere. Why wouldn't the police, or your parents do the same?

It's not exactly hard, kiddies.