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KRONENWETTER, WI (WSAU) — Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and Brittney Bird, the mother of Bradyn Bohn, had a joint message for Wisconsin families on Tuesday, as they spoke to raise awareness about healthy online habits for children and teens.
“The best way to protect children online is through maintaining and creating open lines of communication with your kids,” said Kaul. “As the new school year gets underway, it’s a good time to talk with your kids about what healthy relationships look like and topics such as consent, sexting, and cyber-bullying.”
He says those conversations can empower kids to stand up for themselves or others. “[It gives] them the tools to identify unhealthy or unsafe relationships and reach out for help, if it is needed. Teaching kids to stand up for others by reporting unkind or inappropriate behavior can empower them to stand up for themselves and protect other kids
Kaul noted that Sextortion cases have exploded in Wisconsin this year, with the Department of Justice investigating more than 400 reports of someone threatening to leak intimate photos of a victim if they don’t pay up. He says there are likely many more cases being investigated at the local level that haven’t been brought to his office yet.
Brittney Bird says there were absolutely no signs that her son, Bradyn Bohn, was in trouble before he took his own life after falling victim to sextortion this spring. “The biggest thing we can do is keep talking about it. Make parents, caregivers, children, teachers, staff- whoever is in [our children’s] lives aware that these monsters are out there and they do not care what happens to our children.”
Bird says those bad actors are also many steps ahead of law enforcement and their victims, which is all the more reason to be open with each other about online behavior. “We can’t expect our kids to know how to navigate this world when we are playing catch-up ourselves.
“Their world is so small. They can’t realize that there is so much more left. It’s our job to instill that in them, let them know that there is so much more. We can fix it; they are victims. Yes, it is wrong to send a photo, it’s not OK, and you’ll probably get in trouble, but you’ll be here because we talked about it. Nothing is worth them leaving, or someone convincing them that their life is not worth living,” added Bird.
Kaul says his office has informational materials for parents and educators through the Internet Crimes Against Children Victim Services website. Click here for more information.
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