A 15-year-old girl was reported missing on Christmas Day after failing to return from a walk with her dog in Porter, Texas. Using parental controls on his phone, the girl’s father tracked her to a secluded area where he found her and her dog inside a pickup truck with a 23-year-old man. The father helped his daughter escape and contacted authorities, who arrested Giovanni Rosales Espinoza on charges of aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child, alleging he threatened the girl with a knife. Espinoza remains in jail without bond.
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A Texas federal judge issued a temporary block on Senate Bill 2420, the App Store Accountability Act, which would have mandated age verification for app downloads and parental consent for minors’ in-app purchases. The plaintiffs, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) and two high school students, argued that the law imposed unconstitutional content-based restrictions on speech and parental rights. Judge Robert Pitman sided with the plaintiffs, citing the law’s likely unconstitutionality, while also acknowledging the importance of child safety online. This decision follows a similar ruling earlier in the year that blocked parts of the SCOPE Act, further highlighting ongoing legal challenges to Texas’ efforts to regulate minors’ access to online content.
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Three teenage girls allegedly tried to stab their mother after she turned off the Wi-Fi, according to the sheriff’s office. This incident, which unfolded in a Houston home, involved the three sisters chasing their 39-year-old mother with kitchen knives, both inside the house and into the street. The escalation of the argument went beyond verbal confrontation; one daughter even threw a brick, striking their mother in the ankle. The grandmother, 70 years old, suffered injuries while attempting to intervene and protect her daughter.
The sheer violence of the attack is shocking. It raises serious questions about the family dynamic and the role that unchecked internet access might have played in this extreme reaction.… Continue reading
As a modern-day parent, the issue of children and smartphones is a tough one to navigate. On one hand, we want to ensure our children have access to technology that can be educational and helpful in many ways. On the other hand, we are constantly bombarded with reports and articles highlighting the negative impact smartphones can have on young minds. The recent French report that suggests children should not have smartphones until they are 13 is a topic that hits close to home for many of us.
The report highlights the profit-driven strategy of tech companies that aim to capture children’s attention and monetize them from a young age.… Continue reading
John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood