MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A 19-year-old man was arrested after police say he raped a 14-year-old girl he met on Snapchat.
According to authorities, Kylan Price was chatting with the young teen on the social media site and was able to convince her to give him her home address. He then sent an Uber to her home on Monday, which took her to a hotel in the 1400 block of East Brooks Road.
The teen told officers that when she arrived Price raped her.
Price later confirmed to police that the two had sex. He was arrested and charged with statutory rape.
“Much as it is in ‘real life’ online it’s the same thing which is to build a repertoire , a relationship with the child. Find out what they like, what they don’t like,” explained Kris Crim, Prevention Director with the Memphis Child Advocacy Center.
He said the amount of social media apps out in the world today can cause problems.
“A lot of the kids and teens are using apps that we as adults don’t even know about yet,” he said.
Crim says because of that, parents must be extra vigilant and regulate social media use the same as if they were checking on a child physically leaving the house to go out with friends.
“Who are you spending time with? What apps are you using? And then possibly monitor some of that usage as well. ”
He said sometimes that means turning off access at night when a parent might not be able to monitor usage.
The Memphis Child Advocacy Center has a program to help educate people in the community about recognizing and preventing sexual abuse.
Stewards of Children is a special two and a half hour training including a facilitator-led discussion, designed for parents and any organization that serves youth.
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