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Prosecutors alleged Thursday that a Lake in the Hills man used Snapchat to solicit sexually explicit videos from four children – ages 10 to 15 – and had inappropriate conversations with more than 100. Ryan Shapiro, 47, is charged with four counts of soliciting a child for sexually explicit videos, Class X felonies, according to the criminal complaint filed in the McHenry County court. Shapiro was arrested Wednesday following an investigation that involved the FBI tracking multiple IP addresses to Shapiro and devices he used to commit the alleged offenses from home and work, Assistant State’s Attorney Daniel Conroy said. He made his first appearance before a judge Thursday, during which Conroy said Shapiro is dangerous to the identified children he interacted with as well as any child and should be detained. Judge Cynthia Lamb agreed and denied the systems administrator pretrial release. Conroy said Shapiro has a felony conviction on his record from 10 years ago for theft of more than $10,000, a Class 2 felony, “a crime of dishonesty.” Shapiro is now accused of having conversations via Snapchat with more than 100 children, according to prosecutors. He is charged with exchanging explicit videos with four children, ages 10

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney identified the suspect as Delon Hughes, 34, of Brooklyn. A Brooklyn man has been indicted for rape and other charges for sexually abusing a Long Island 16-year-old girl het met on Snapchat. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney identified the suspect as Delon Hughes, 34, of Brooklyn. "The allegation in this case serves as a stark reminder that predators use social media platforms to prey upon and exploit children," said Tierney. "We believe the defendant may have used the social media handles 'Josephpatri9300' on Snapchat and 'Richkid365' on Instagram. If anyone has been contacted by these usernames or has information about similar incidents, I urge them to contact the Suffolk County Police Department immediately." According to the investigation, on June 11, Hughes traveled on the LIRR to Brentwood to meet the victim at the library before walking with her to the Brentwood Fire Department. Once there, Hughes allegedly sexually abused the victim among cars parked behind the fire department. On Aug. 7, Hughes was arrested in Queens. Following his arrest, search warrants executed on two of his cellphones led to the discovery of additional social media accounts including the Instagram username "Richkid3651" and Snapchat

Cian Williams was on bail after sending sexual messages to a child when he sexually abused another girl Cian Williams (Image: North Wales Police) A paedophile sexually abused an underage schoolgirl while on bail for grooming another teenage girl, a court has heard. Cian Williams was 18 when he began sending messages of a sexual nature to a 13-year-old on Snapchat. While on bail for these offences, Williams brazenly committed similar offences against a 14-year-old. Williams, now 20, was sentenced to nine years detention for targeting the two girls. He admitted multiple offences of sexual activity with a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and grooming a child. A further charge of perverting the course of justice was allowed to lie on file. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here Prosecuting, Laura Knightly said Williams approached the first victim, who was aged 13, through the Snapchat social media platform in 2024. They would message each other and the messages became sexual. At one point he offered her cannabis for free if she performed a sex act on him, reports North Wales Live. He also sent her a sexual image

Snap Inc. has revealed it is launching the second phase of its ‘Say it in a Snap’ brand campaign, showcasing the unique way that Gen Z communicates on Snapchat through a physical brand moment. Designed to demonstrate the way Snapchatchatters create joy and connection by sharing small, everyday moments with close friends and family via the Snapchat platform, the one-day-only activation is the physical embodiment of this idea and brings with it a suite of creator partnerships designed to drive cultural conversation. On Sunday, September 7, Snapchat will give away limited-edition cookies created for sharing, at a pop-up experience in Pitt Street Mall which combines the fun of daily connection, friends and Snap-worthy treats that bring a moment of joy. The Snapchat brand moment features the special drop of cookies made by cookie distributor Butter Boy, in super-limited flavours co-curated by Gen Z cookbook author of Everyday Eats and Snap Star, Jasmin Weston. The activation taps into the global ‘blind box’ trend which has gripped young people across the country, and their love of connecting with friends and family by sharing small, everyday moments. The Snapchat activation was inspired by research on the emotional significance of sharing and snapping snacks

In the short term, Snapchat should focus on revitalizing its main advertising business by ramping up its creator efforts and improving Spotlight, its ...

A 30-year-old Council Bluffs man accused of using Snapchat to lure and kidnap a 12-year-old girl from Omaha appeared in court Monday, highlighting growing concerns about online predators targeting children through popular social media platforms. Devon C. Miller admitted to communicating with the 12-year-old victim through Snapchat for about a week before sending an Uber to transport her from Omaha to his Council Bluffs apartment, according to a complaint filed by the Council Bluffs Police Department. The case underscores the dangers children face on digital platforms, according to Nebraska State Patrol's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Lieutenant Monty Lovelace. "The thing that people need to understand is that there are multiple platforms that kids can network with all kinds of offenders, and it's really up to parents to ensure that they know what their kids are looking at," Lovelace said. Growing concerns about online safety The incident comes as online safety concerns mount nationwide. A North Carolina family sued popular gaming platform Roblox, claiming it didn't provide adequate safety measures and that their daughter was sexually exploited on the platform. Roblox responded to the lawsuit, stating they have robust safety measures, including moderators who monitor for individuals attempting to

A 12-year-old girl reported missing from Omaha on Tuesday was found safe this weekend. Police said the investigation led them to the house of 30-year-old Devon Miller of Council Bluffs.Officials said Miller was taken into custody for first-degree kidnapping.The girl was safely returned to her family. Now that she's been found, KETV is no longer using her name. Court documents say Miller admitted to messaging the girl on Snapchat, a platform that advocates say is often used by predators.“We assisted in organizing a meeting of searchers in our parking lot,” said Lestina Saul, Project Beacon’s coordinator under the Nebraska Urban Indian Health Coalition, a program that addresses trafficking.Saul said the community came together in the search. “This search was like a prayer, we all wanted to find her," she said. "We all wanted her to come home safely."She said the outcome was different from many cases involving missing Indigenous people. “That was an answered prayer,” Saul said, adding that it gave people “a good feeling of hope.”Saul also called for more collaboration between communities and law enforcement, similar to this investigation. “When people go missing, there needs to be more cohesion with law enforcement and with the community,” she said.Suzie

Snap Inc, the company behind Snapchat has appointed eight Aussie teens to it’s first-ever “Australian Council for Digital Well-Being”, volunteering their time to share ideas for a more positive and rewarding experience for young people online. Those eight teens will probably be the first and last members, given in less than four months they will all be kicked off Snapchat thanks to the Australian Government’s Under 16’s Social Media Ban. That legislation isn’t mentioned in Snapchat’s announcement of the teen advisory council, but it’s likely part of an ongoing lobbying they’re doing to ensure the government – and public know that they aren’t the bad guy. In February the program was announced, with applications coming in from all over the country and Snapchat says the program will run for 18 months and will serve as a sister council to those being run in the USA. Ryan Ferguson, Managing Director for Snap Inc. in Australia and New Zealand, said: “We know teens are the real experts when it comes to the digital world, so we are excited to be launching our first Aussie teen Council for Digital Well-Being. We were thrilled to welcome an amazing group of civic- minded, smart and engaged

There are new champions in AEW. AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door went down at the O2 Arena in London. The AEW World Tag Team Titles were also defended in a hard-hitting match. The AEW Tag Team Championship was defended in a three-way match as The Hurt Syndicate, represented by Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin, put their titles on the line against the team of Brodido, made up of Brody King and Bandido, and FTR. Fans in the O2 Arena filled the air with “We Hurt People” chants in sing-song fashion throughout this match. Although the fans made their pick very clear, every team had a chance to show off in this match to hurt their opponents. Midway through the match, two masked men in NJPW gear attacked Bobby Lashley. Then a chair was introduced into the match to Dax Harwood, but Bandido kicked it into his face. The match continued as Brody took an unprotected chair shot, but he kicked out at two. Then it was revealed that Ricochet and his cronies were the ones who attacked Lashley. This led some fans to question why they would come in masked only to reveal themselves during the match. The contest carried

Singer and reality television star JoJo Siwa – best known for appearing on Dance Moms and Celebrity Big Brother – has shocked her Hampshire fans by going indoor skydiving in Basingstoke. The 22-year-old, whose songs include Karma and Guilty Pleasure, visited iFly at Basingstoke Leisure Park on Thursday (August 21) and posted about her trip on social media. In one clip, filmed outside the skydiving centre and posted on Snapchat, Siwa said: “It's just a gorgeous day here in Basingstoke. It's my new stomping grounds.” A second video showed her in the centre's wind tunnel, performing a flip and hovering in the air with the help of a skydiving instructor. Fans of the American, who has 11m followers on Instagram and 1.5m followers on Snapchat, have posted their reactions online. @taraeleanorr no seriously, why is Jojo Siwa in Basingstoke - this feels like a fever dream #basingstoke #jojosiwa ♬ original sound - tara 💌📚🌷 Tara Davies, 25, said: “Why is JoJo Siwa in Basingstoke? That's what I want to know. What is happening? “A friend has just sent me JoJo Siwa's Snapchat story – she stumbled across it – and JoJo's in front of the skydiving place in the leisure park. “Like, what on earth? Did