North Egypt News

Last week Mokena Junior High School warned parents about an app called Omegle that has officials concerned that students could be at risk of online abuse or issues with strangers, and state Rep. Paul Jacobs took to social media to warn the public.

“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,” Rep. Jacobs posted, along with a January 26 article from NBC Chicago.

The report by NBC Chicago shared part of the school’s statement through a letter to the parents by Principal Dr. Mike Rolinitis.

“Omegle does not appear to have powerful moderation,” Rolinitis wrote. “It also does not require registration or have age verification, which makes young people a potential target for abuse online.”

The letter added that children can easily bypass safety controls and enter adults only and unmoderated video chat rooms. The Omegle website also says, “users are solely responsible for their behavior.”

On December 22, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Indiana announced that Kyle Peterson of Rockford, Illinois was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor. The victim was a 12 year old girl, and the news release explained that he used Omegle and Snapchat.

These activities started on March 20, 2020, and says that Peterson knew the victim was a child when he began sending sexually explicit videos and pictures. They then engaged in sexually explicit video chats and he told her to send explicit videos of herself. He threatened the child when she stopped complying.

U.S. Chief District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt sentenced Peterson to a 22-year prison sentence, as well as 20 years supervision by the U.S. Probation Office after being released from federal prison. Peterson must also pay $16,000 in restitution to the child victims, and register as a sex offender wherever he lives, works or goes to school, as the law requires.