Illinois state Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) | reppauljacobs.com
Illinois state Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) | reppauljacobs.com
Illinois state Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) has alerted his constituents about a social media app that could put children's safety in jeopardy.
Jacobs addressed the issue in a Jan. 28 Facebook post.
"An Illinois school has put out a warning to parents about a social media app that could potentially put students in dangerous situations with strangers," he said in the post.
The post shared a link to an NBC Chicago story issued by McKenna Junior High School that warns about the app named Omegle. Dr. Mike Rolinits, the school's principal, sent a letter to parents recently that read, "Omegle does not appear to have powerful moderation. It also does not require registration or have age verification, which makes young people a potential target for abuse online."
In December, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Indiana announced that 25-year-old Kyle Peterson of Rockford, Ill., was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor, a Department of Justice press release said. Court documents stated that Peterson used the social media apps Omegle and Snapchat to coerce a 12-year-old girl "to engage in sexually explicit conduct."
Jacobs was first elected to the Illinois House in the November 2020 general election, the General Assembly website said. He has previously served on both the Tourism and Higher Education committees.
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