Local case of 18 year old charged with raping an 11 year old girl raises concerns over how parents can monitor social media platforms

SEATAC - If your child is old enough to care about social media the latest story about an 18 year old raping an 11 year-old girl after meeting on Snapchat should be a wake up call.

Police say Jay Nova used the ‘shout out’ feature on Snapchat to get her attention.

Soon text messages and phone calls followed and the two agreed to meet at the 11 year old’s Seatac home.

Snapchat telling Q13 News you have to be 13 and over to register for their platform. That they do not facilitate messages from strangers.

Still that’s no guarantee that young kids won’t get on social media platforms

Because 1 in 7 youths are contacted by an internet predator according to Washington’s Internet Crimes Against Children.

Besides just talking to your kids there are other tools that law enforcement says parents can consider for young children.

On their website Bark says they will monitor your child’s text messages, emails and 24 different social networks around the clock. It will alert parents if they discover potential safety concerns.

FamilyTime is another tool. Their website says they can limit screen time and even block apps you don’t want on your kids devices.

Keep in mind wireless service providers could also partner with parents.

For example Verizon telling Q13 News on Friday  that their Verizon Smart Family plan can do a number of things including monitor calls and apps as well as pausing the internet.