11 yr. old drove 200 miles..............

CrazyKittyLvr2 · ‎05-11-2013

This child drove across South Carolina to meet a man he didn't know but met on Snapchat. He told police he wanted to live with him. The young boy took his brother's car but got lost lost. He saw a policeman and stopped and asked for directions.

Thank God he didn't crash and kill himself or anyone else. Also good he got lost, heaven knows what would have happened had he actually managed to meet the man.

I can't imagine even thinking of doing this at any age. One of the things my parents drilled in my head from the time I could understand, you never, ever go off with a stranger.

Alison Wonderland · ‎02-05-2018

@CrazyKittyLvr2 wrote:
This child drove across South Carolina to meet a man he didn't know but met on Snapchat. He told police he wanted to live with him. The young boy took his brother's car but got lost lost. He saw a policeman and stopped and asked for directions.

Thank God he didn't crash and kill himself or anyone else. Also good he got lost, heaven knows what would have happened had he actually managed to meet the man.

I can't imagine even thinking of doing this at any age. One of the things my parents drilled in my head from the time I could understand, you never, ever go off with a stranger.

Your parents told you not to "go off with a stranger," and that's not what he did. He didn't let anyone take him anywhere, he went to the person. Language matters and when people talk about this kind of thing, they talk about not letting anyone "take" you. It's called "abduction." But with internet predators, they're talking kids into meeting them somewhere or coming to them. The language matters - a child isn't thinking about being "taken" or being "abducted" when they go to their predator.

This child was 11. He was groomed on Snapchat, a site that deletes unsaved messages when the app is closed. The child was so young that he had the predator's address in his Snapchat messages and didn't realize it would get deleted when the app closed and that's why he was lost. When the GPS disconnected and lost the destination, he couldn't enter it again because the Snapchat message with the address was deleted. That's not a child able to reason that going to meet a person you've talked to online and feels like a friend is the same as being abducted by a stranger.

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

This is why it is so important for a parent to manage a child's phone. First of all, I have no idea why an 11 yo needs a cell phone. Second of all, why was Snapchat allowed to be on that child's phone? If kids this age do have a cell, they don't need to be on any social media sites. Third, thank God this child is okay.

This kids parents need to get it together. They are very lucky this turned out the way it did.

Marp · ‎03-09-2010

I doubt the child saw the man as a stranger since they have been chatting for who knows how long. He would have been going to meet a friend.

The eyes through which you see others may be the same as how they see you.

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

I don't do Snapchat and honestly have no idea how it works. Do you have Snapchat "friends?" How did these 2 meet each other via SC?

GAQShopr53 · ‎07-27-2015

I read about this story and believe that all things happen for a reason. If he had not gotten lost and stopped to ask a policeman for directions the end of this story could have been so different.

Who taught an eleven year old how to drive a car so well that he was able to drive over 200 miles? The child could have had an accident or like someone else noted could have actually met up with this predator.

Bri369 · ‎11-03-2018

@Lipstickdiva wrote:
I don't do Snapchat and honestly have no idea how it works. Do you have Snapchat "friends?" How did these 2 meet each other via SC?

You can have Snapchat friends and chat. Obviously, the parents had no idea this kid was chatting with someone.

SXMGirl · ‎07-07-2010

Thank goodness that the child had to stop and ask a police officer for directions. No one knows how badly this could have ended. With that said, I believe that when a child leaves home and wants to live with a stranger, no matter that they have corresponded online, there is a serious problem at home. Parents need to act like parents and that their childrens lives depend on it. I can see family services getting involved in this case.

The next time that I hear salt and ice together, it better be in a margarita!

GAQShopr53 · ‎07-27-2015

@Lipstickdiva wrote:
I don't do Snapchat and honestly have no idea how it works. Do you have Snapchat "friends?" How did these 2 meet each other via SC?

@Lipstickdiva Snapchat is one of those social media messaging apps that allows you to share photos, videos, texts, and drawings over the phone.

The only difference between this app and others is the feature of the messages disappearing from your phone leaving no evidence of the interaction. This is a perfect storm for predators, sex traffickers, and rapist to find unsuspecting victims in my opinion.

CrazyKittyLvr2 · ‎05-11-2013

Yes, my parents said go off with a stranger but at the ripe old age of 68 yrs. old I wouldn't drive across PA to meet a stranger. I don't care how much time you spend "talking" online. I am not trusting by nature and has served me well throughout my life.

I am just glad my kids are well into their 40's and I don't have to worry about them being groomed or lured by someone online.