Parents urged to use parental controls and monitor social media after Newman town hall

Amy Wolf, a representative of the Legacy Health Endowment, told parents and caregivers that social media and online gaming are major drivers of youth mental-health challenges and offered step-by-step guidance for reducing risk. "It's up to us as families to create boundaries," she said, distributing two guides — one on social media and one on gaming.

Wolf reviewed platform-specific safety notes (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, Twitch and Discord), recommended parental-control apps that lock devices or limit in-app purchases, and described a family-media plan endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. She cited research and statistics during her presentation: for example, she said roughly 96% of teens own a smartphone and that many teens play video games; she warned that TikTok offers no in-app parental settings and recommended using device-level controls to limit exposure.

A Newman Police Department internet-crimes contact (introduced at the event as Sergeant Gomez) joined a question-and-answer session that clarified legal options for parents. Gomez explained how tips and automated referrals from social-media companies can generate police leads, described local grooming patterns that sometimes start in Newman and continue in nearby cities, and advised parents to preserve evidence and file reports when the conduct meets legal thresholds. "If it is on their phone now ... they are manufacturing child pornography," the speaker said when describing minors exchanging sexually explicit images; police cautioned that enforcement decisions often involve juvenile-court considerations.

Local guidance and resources: presenters urged families to install parental-control apps (paid subscription apps were discussed), to regularly review children’s profiles (Amy noted multiple Instagram profiles can be hidden from parents), and to use device-level limits for screen time and in-app purchases. Police described curfew enforcement practices (parks close at 10 p.m.) and recommended reporting suspicious activity and using community outreach events like Coffee with a Cop to build relationships.

The session closed with printed guides, QR-coded resources, and offers to bring the presentation to schools, churches and youth groups. Organizers and police emphasized that small departments have limited capacity and asked parents to report tips and to monitor device and friend networks as primary prevention steps.