Teens looking for love in all the wrong places

GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Face it, the teenage years are just not easy.

It’s the in-between stage where teens are no longer children. But want to appear all grown up.

That’s where trouble can happen.

Some teens look to older individuals for attention or validation.

And, they go looking for love – in all the wrong places.

It’s the fear of many parents.

Their underage child getting involved with an older individual.

And according to local law enforcement, the number of cases is on the rise.

“We’re seeing more cases with the advancement of technology. There’s a lot more apps out there now, there’s a lot more sites where chat is available, picture swapping, things such as that; as a result, we’re seeing a lot more of it because there’s more available out there,” said Lt. Tony Cooper.

But what is leading kids down this dangerous path?

“If that person is getting extra attention from an older male somebody that’s complementing them building them up put them on a pedestal if they’re hungry for that if the longing for that if that’s not building them up that’s gonna make it that much more tempting,” said licensed counselor Julia Stephenson.

“A lot of times we’re finding that perhaps the home the child is in sometimes may not be the best situation or the child might not feel like it is. Some of the older individuals will take advantage of that and become their best friend and will develop a relationship with them and will do things to try to gain the trust of the child and hopes of maybe later on down the road meeting, and perhaps other things taking place between them,” said Lt. Cooper.

Sometimes the adult doesn’t realize how young the child is, but there are still consequences.

“They’ll make their profile whatever age they want to be. Sometimes they do it because the sites require that you be of a certain age in order for them to be on that site they created a date of birth, but there’s no way for the sites to verify the age of the person. They end up with a profile, they end up on the sites, and things take off; however, the state of Mississippi even if the child has lied about their age the adults can still be held responsible for anything that takes place between themselves and that child,” said Lt. Cooper.