Latest news with #minors

Operation Clean Air uncovers rampant vape sales to minors in Paulding County

Yahoo

7 hours ago

Health
Yahoo

Operation Clean Air uncovers rampant vape sales to minors in Paulding County

The Brief "Operation Clean Air" led to the arrest of seven individuals in Paulding County for selling vape products to minors, with nine out of ten targeted stores found guilty. Undercover operations using underage buyers exposed a widespread issue of vape sales to minors, prompting local residents to support the crackdown for community and school safety. Law enforcement officials plan to continue compliance checks to ensure store owners adhere to regulations and prevent underage vape sales. PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. - Seven people have been arrested in Paulding County as part of a crackdown on stores accused of selling vape products to minors. SEE ALSO: 7 arrested in Paulding County underage vaping sting, deputies say What we know The Paulding County Sheriff's Office, working in coordination with the Northwest Georgia Drug Task Force, launched "Operation Clean Air" two months ago after local school officials reported a spike in students caught with vape devices on campus. "We started hitting stores," said Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jordan Yuodis. "Of the 10 stores we went to, nine of them sold to minors." Undercover operations using underage buyers revealed a widespread problem across the county, according to investigators. "We started using people who were under the age to shop for vapes, and almost every store we went to, a minor was sold a vape," Yuodis said. "Our job is to make the community and the schools safer." What they're saying Local residents say the crackdown is long overdue. "I think it's about time they crack down on it and keep these kids safe," said Cheney Bromm, a Paulding County resident. "We don't know what [vaping] will do to them yet, not enough research, so I think it's a good idea." Another resident, Madon Burrell, described the impact of vaping in local schools. "Underage smoking can be a problem, especially in the schools," he said. "You can walk in a school bathroom and there are kids — just a bunch of kids — huffing on vapes." Law enforcement officials say the operation is far from over and warned store owners and employees that compliance checks will continue. "If you're doing that type of activity and not doing what you're supposed to do as the owner, the next time you go to sell a vape it might be someone underage, it might not be," Yuodis said. "You never know when we're going to show up." The Source FOX 5's Denise Dillon spoke with the Paulding County Sheriff's Office and the Northwest Georgia Drug Task Force for this article.

Turlock man sentenced to 15 years for transporting a minor to Idaho for sexual activity

Yahoo

3 days ago

General
Yahoo

Turlock man sentenced to 15 years for transporting a minor to Idaho for sexual activity

( — A Turlock man has been sentenced to over 15 years in federal prison for transporting minors across state lines. According to the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office, on May 13, Cristina Ceja, 28, of Turlock, was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in federal prison by the United States District Court, Eastern District of California. He was convicted of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Defense Intelligence Agency IT Specialist arrested for allegedly sharing classified information SCSO stated that the case started in August 2023, when detectives with the SCSO Special Victims Unit were alerted that a minor had disappeared from the 200 block of F Street. The initial leads remained scarce, and the investigation remained open for several months. A critical breakthrough happened when the missing minor reestablished contact with a family member through social media and explained a desire to return home, but showed that she was unable to leave in her current conditions, SCSO said. Authorities said that the detectives were able to leverage the communication and use it to trace her location to a remote area near Kamiah, ID. On January 3, the Idaho County Sheriff's Office located and safely recovered the victim. Ceja was taken into custody at the scene and transported to the St. Naisias County Public Safety Center the following day, officials said. Rite Aid Thrifty Ice Cream brand faces closure amid bankruptcy Officials said that the investigation showed that Ceja had taken the victim from her home in Turlock in August of 2023 and transported her across state lines to Idaho, where they lived in a camper trailer lacking running water and heat. 'The successful resolution of this case was the result of a coordinated effort between the SCSO Special Victims Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, the Idaho County Sheriff's Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea Kenny, who prosecuted the case in the Eastern District of California.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The Verge

4 days ago

General
The Verge

Posted May 30, 2025 at 3:51 AM EDT 0 Comments

The EU age verification app will launch in July. The app is described as a temporary solution until the EU rolls out a Digital Identity Wallet with age-checking features next year, aiming to support the enforcement of rules that require online platforms to protect minors. The app will allow users to verify their age without giving personal information to platforms, and was briefly mentioned on Tuesday when the EU Commission announced its probe into major porn sites.

Effort to ban minors under 18 from social media in Texas fades as time runs out

CBS News

5 days ago

Health
CBS News

Effort to ban minors under 18 from social media in Texas fades as time runs out

A push in Texas to ban social media accounts for children under 18 faded Thursday after lawmakers did not take a key vote on creating one of the nation's toughest restrictions aimed at keeping minors off platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. The bill, which already passed the GOP-controlled state House, aims to go further than a Florida social media ban for minors under 14. Australia banned social media accounts for anyone under 16. But earlier momentum behind the Texas measure slowed at the eleventh hour in the state Senate as lawmakers face a weekend deadline to send bills to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. Abbott has not said publicly whether he supported the proposed ban, which was opposed by tech trade groups and critics who called it an unconstitutional limit on free speech. "This bill was the best way to protect children in this state," state Rep. Jared Patterson, a Republican carrying the measure, said Wednesday. The legislative session ends Monday. That leaves a narrowing path for the proposal that, if passed, would set up another test of state efforts to set boundaries on how and when children can access social media. Earlier this week, Abbott signed into law a separate measure requiring Apple and Google to verify the age of online app store users, as well as parental consent to download apps and make in-app purchases for users under 18. Utah passed a similar bill earlier this year. The proposed Texas ban aimed at minors is the latest move in a growing bipartisan push nationwide to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children. Critics accuse platforms of using addictive functions to lure children onto their site and keep them there, and of not doing enough to curb violent or age-inappropriate content, or online abuse. Nearly half of American teenagers say they are online "constantly" despite concerns about the effects of social media and smartphones on their mental health, according to a December 2024 report published by the Pew Research Center. The American Psychological Association has called on tech companies and lawmakers to protect children's mental health, arguing that social media platforms are "particularly risky" to young people who cannot disengage from sites and struggle with impulse control. States and countries have passed various measures to address the problem, and some have run into legal challenges. A federal judge in 2024 temporarily blocked Utah's first-in-the-nation law requiring social media companies to check the ages of all users and place restrictions on accounts belonging to minors. California, which is home to some of the largest tech companies in the world, will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent starting in 2027. And New York state allows parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm. Many tech companies have established a presence in Texas, including X, which is owned by Elon Musk.

Texas push to ban minors under 18 from social media fades with time running out

Washington Post