Three sessions titled “Vision Parent Initiative” were held on Minot Air Force Base in 2026 on May 21st, June 23rd, and July 27th. These sessions were brought to the base by North Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (NDICAC) and were coordinated by our Prevention Office. They were designed to empower parents to guide and protect their children online through successful navigation of five apps. Parents were encouraged to attend all three sessions, although I’d argue attending even one session – if that’s all a schedule can accommodate – is more than worth it.
On May 21st, 2026, the session lasted from 5:30pm to 8:20pm. Our 5th Bomb Wing Commander at the time, Col Lamarand, attended. We reviewed Snapchat and TikTok and each attendee was given a tablet to interact with these apps. Here are some takeaways:
Children are not predominantly on Facebook. The average age for children who are targeted or exposed to explicit material on apps is nine years-old.
Parents need to have a conversation with their child if they see an app they don’t recognize. Ask, “What is this?” and “Why do you have it?” When a child is targeted and exposed, a child says, “I wish I would have talked to my parents.” A parent says, “I wish I had asked more questions.”
Sextortion – A form of online abuse and sexual exploitation. It happens when a person uses coercion to obtain sexual photos, videos, money, or more from a victim. The kids who are being targeted the most are usually the ones who have something to lose (e.g. kids in the media with sports scholarships, class President, etc.). These students care about the ramifications of not sending an explicit photo, video, or money to a perpetrator online, which is the exact opposite of what most people think – kids doing drugs, drinking etc.
If you suspect your child has been extorted, report it. You can contact Mr. Cassidy Halseth, Special Agent, Cyber Crime Unit, Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) in Minot, ND at chalseth@nd.gov. You can also contact Ms. Analena M. Lunde, Victim Witness Specialist, BCI in Dickinson, ND at alunde@nd.gov. They will go after the perpetrator, obtain a search warrant, and can find their electronic devices with the help of three local canines – named “Jab” in Minot, “Ursa” in Bismarck, and “Jib” in Fargo – who are trained to smell the glue in hard drives.
You are also encouraged to contact your local law enforcement agency and tell them you would like to make a report to the North Dakota ICAC Task Force. Your local agency can make sure the information gets to Mr. Halseth and your local BCI agents/specialists.
Another established way to report concerns involves contacting the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Reports of suspected online child sexual exploitation can be made through the NCMEC CyberTipline or by calling 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678). Additional information and resources are available through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
“Parents don’t come to us in the numbers that kids do, sadly. Burying their head in the sand [with regard to their kid’s technology use] is like putting kids in cars to drive down a highway with no doors or seatbelts.” -Mr. Cassidy Halseth
Snapchat
You need to be 13 years-old to have Snapchat, but there are kindergartners on it, because children can put any birthdate they want (no verification is required) to make their account. Also, they cannot open Snapchat unless they turn their camera on.
If location is “on,” your children are being tracked. They can see their friends’ locations, too.
If they click the chat bubble, your children can see other children in their local area and add them. As a parent, put a face to who their Snapchat friends are. Ask if your child knows them.
Through “spotlight,” your children can add a creator of a video as a friend. Sometimes they can see live streams happening in their area (e.g. riots, etc.)
If your child has “my eyes only” setup in “memories,” request their password. Have a conversation with your kid about that. “The crimes against kids are living there.” -Mr. Halseth
Your child can talk to other children using only emojis. In Google, you can look up emojis to decipher their meaning, but children create other, more complex ones not listed.
If you look at your child’s chat, check if they deleted some of their conversation. Ask your child what happened in that scenario. They might be hiding something.
Click the gear icon located in the top right corner. This is their privacy controls. See how your child is sharing their location. The safest location setting is ghost mode. Check who can contact your child. Check blocked users. If you see a lot of people, it’s time to have a conversation. What is going on in their Snapchat experience? Are they being extorted? Bullied?
Click on “Settings.” There’s a “Family Center.” In there, you can control what your child’s doing. Setup their account. Note: If your phone updates and their phone doesn’t, the settings may not stay. Check periodically to make sure the settings stay.
“Download Snapchat and play with it before you allow your child to use it.” -Ms. Lunde
Children can now monetize what they put on Snapchat. They can link to Amazon etc.
Click on “My Account Status.” You can see if your child was ever banned, reported for bullying, etc.
If your child asks for a new account, it’s probably time to have a conversation. Your child probably got banned for some reason.
If you click on “Settings” and “My Data,” Snapchat will send you a zip file of everything your child has taken pictures of etc., everything except “my eyes only” information. Tell your child you’re downloading their data and looking through it. There will be a lot of PDFs and spreadsheets. Click “Ctrl F” to search specific, explicit terms or friend names. Plan to do this regularly. Please be aware that according to their disclosure agreement, Snapchat owns all data your child inputs.
TikTok
“TikTok and Roblox are both extremely popular platforms with kids, and because kids are there, bad actors are going to go there as well. Offenders will seek out platforms where they know they can find and interact with children.” – Mr. Halseth
If you click on the image icon on the right side, that’s where you find the creator. You can follow that person and make a connection.
On the right side, you’ll also see “Auto scroll.”. Your child doesn’t even need to move their finger to scroll.
Look at your child’s profile. They can connect their social media platforms (e.g. Instagram) to TikTok. They can get money on TikTok. Your child might have something called “tips” in which people can give your child money. Check this especially if your child’s account is public.
Click the “home” button. Click on the magnifying glass “search” icon on the top right and look at what your child’s searching. This might give you an idea of what’s going on in their digital world. Also check their “You may like” feature, which you can see even if they deleted their search history.
In “Settings and Privacy,” check the Activity Center. There is something called “Family Pairing.” As you set up your child’s account, you can do this and have some control over what your child is doing. Just like I stated in Snapchat, phone/device updates are the biggest killer of this feature. Go in often and check that this setting remains on. If your kid is on an older device, you might lose some connections with your TikTok, too.
“When TikTok shut down, many people were upset, because TikTok has monetized the selling of pictures, videos, etc.” -Ms. Lunde
If your child has TikTok, tell them not to link Instagram etc. and integrated accounts. It creates a bigger issue.
“’It’s all about the links, the likes, the love,’ teenagers say. It’s very addicting.” -Ms. Lunde
Make sure your child’s account is private.
Click on “Rewards.” The more interactions your child gets, they can receive gift cards, trips, etc.
“Kids thrive on structure. Set limits.” -Ms. Lunde
“Have conversations [with your kids]. Talk about healthy relationships. Sexiness is taking out the trash. Making dinner. Teach [them] about good, healthy relationships. Do not freak out if your child did not come to you and sent an explicit photo and is now being extorted. Call me. Call the investigative unit.” – Ms. Lunde
On June 23rd, 2026, we reviewed Instagram and Roblox and were each given a tablet to interact with these apps. Here are some takeaways:
It is by far the biggest platform with regard to the amount of users – three billion users.
You can go through reels, which is kind of like TikTok. Check the corner of the pictures. You can see very graphic, not-for-children images/activities in action.
Just like stated above, you have to constantly monitor the settings. If there’s any updates to the device, everything resets.
Click on the “Home” screen. It shows you the people your child interacted with and knows.
Click “Reels.” Scroll through them. You’ll see what your child is interested in. There’s an algorithm; whatever they stay to look at, more of that will pop up.
Click the “Chat” button. As soon as your child follows someone, he/she can chat with them.
Click “Map” (globe icon). Ensure your child does not share their location. You can set it up for just friends, close friends, or certain people.
“In Minot, there was a case where a guy – who drove miles to be near this child – was standing behind her at the ND State Fair, as she was standing in line with her family.” -Mr. Halseth
There are a lot of content creators today. Kids and young teens and even adults.
Finsta = fake Instagram account. Click on your child’s account name and look at their drop-down menu. They can have five Instagram accounts. You need to be aware of that, because your child may only present one account to you. Check how many accounts they have on their devices.
Click on the three parallel lines or the “hamburger-looking button” in the upper right corner. Open up “Settings.” Check “Account Privacy.” It should be set to private. This will keep most people away. Look in “Blocked Profiles.” If you see a lot, ask why your child is blocking so many people. Look in “Your Activity.” See all their interactions. See who they liked and anything they commented on. Click on “Time Management.” See how much time your child is using Instagram.
Scroll down to “Family Center” in Settings and Activity. Open it. This will allow you to connect your account to your child’s account, so you’ll have more control over what your child is doing. You can set controls. You still need to do spot checks and make sure they stay connected.
Look at “Close Friends” in Settings and Activity. See what your child is sharing with them.
“A bad actor/predator might meet your child on one platform and then lure your child to a different platform, telling them to friend them on the other platform.” -Mr. Halseth
If you click “Bio” and it’s a line of emojis, find out what those emojis mean. The emojis mean something to other kids. Have a conversation with your kid about what their emojis mean and why they have that. Also, there’s no need to have links. There’s no reason to make it so easy for predators to find them.
Keep your child’s profile private, because people are getting their pictures and altering them in unsatisfactory ways.
There’s something called “Geotag.” If your child is going to post pictures, their location will be embedded in that picture. You can do a hashtag for a Chick-fil-A in Bismarck and it’ll geotag. You don’t want people to find your child. Make sure their location is off. You do not want location on pictures.
There’s “Vanishing Mode” on chat. Click on the “Message” section. Swipe up. It changes to “Disappearing Message” and that message will disappear in a certain amount of time – whatever time your child sets. If you go through their chats and their conversations make sense and then they suddenly don’t make sense, they probably used this feature.
Meta wants data, but if you go to their “Family Center,” you can see a video or information on somethings you should know, so that’s transparent.
If you set up your child’s account with them, you have control over the correct birthdate being typed in and restrictions through Meta that are being applied. If you do this together in the beginning, they’ll probably come to you if there’s an issue in the future. Be a part of that.
Roblox
This is the #1 app in the app store right now.
“They don’t call them “games” on Roblox, they call them “experiences.” Anyone can create an experience. If I’m a predator and I generate an experience and set the maturity level, I can set it for a five year-old even if it’s totally for adults with unclothed characters. There’s no way [Roblox staff] are monitoring all the experiences out there. They’re [created] too fast.” -Mr. Halseth
Content Maturity – Minimal. That is the lowest setting, but content developer sets that setting, not Roblox. They can set anything.
Roblox also has a website. Check your child’s app and website; check both.
“Roblox wants to get biometrics of your child. They want you to upload your child’s picture on there. The fact that a program wants you to do that is pretty scary. Unless you do age unlock and age verification, [your child’s] experience will be so limited. They’re forcing your hand and making you do something you don’t want to do to make your kid happy.” -Mr. Halseth
Check “Home.” Look at your kid’s friends list. Make sure your kid knows who the people are with whom they’re interacting.
“Check ‘Charts.’ More than any other platform, this is a total status thing. Kids will want to play the latest experience and talk about it with their friends.” -Mr. Halseth
Check “Party.” Your child can set up little groups with whom to play. Your child can have multiple parties with different people.
Your child has to be 13 years old or older to chat. Random people will add your child and start chatting right away. Roblox will x out curse words.
“Roblox, more than any other platform, promotes bullying.” -Mr. Halseth
The default avatar is called “a bacon.” This is known as the worst one, and your child will get ridiculed for having this avatar. Your child can buy items to change its hair and clothing etc.
“Pedophiles make contact with kids and give them money on Roblox. They can also trade with them, buy things, and say, ‘if you do this for me, I will trade you these sunglasses, etc.’ A child will do anything for a stupid green hat.” -Mr. Halseth
If your child has fancy clothes and accessories on their avatar, ask them how they got them. Some experiences will give them stuff for free, but not a lot.
Check the three dots, “More” and “Settings.” Check “Inventory.” Check what they have. Be aware of where they got it. Ask. From an experience? Did someone give, trade, or request something for it? Check “Create.” See if your kid created an experience. Check “Health & Safety” and “Violations & Appeals.” See if your kid was in Roblox jail for a month or made a violation against someone. You’ll see it here.
You can add a parent account to your child’s account. You should.
Click “Robux” in the top right corner. You can see the amount of Robux or money your child has. If you’re not buying your child Robux, how are they getting them? There are not a ton of experiences that give Robux. If your child has 1,000, that isn’t from experiences.
Now, check their Roblox website. Your child’s account on the website will show your child’s transactions. It’ll tell you who sent the bux to your child and what’s traded to your child. This is also how you load Robux. You have to see this as a parent. It’ll show you what your child is getting.
Children can do everything on the website. They don’t need an app. They can play Roblox on the web.
Click on an experience. Click “Report” button if there’s inappropriate language, images, etc. Roblox will then monitor and block it if it goes against their standards. Creator will then quickly create a different experience.
“Parental controls will not parent your kid. You still need to monitor; you still need to be a part of it.” -Mr. Halseth
On July 27th, 2026, we reviewed Discord and were each given a tablet to interact with this app. Here are some takeaways:
Discord
BCI has seen a lot of horrific pictures and explicit conversations on Discord. In itself, Discord is not bad, but BCI has seen so many bad things that happen on it.
Hashvalue = identity of image or picture.
The chat function is popular with gaming.
Click on “Settings.” Scroll down. You can monitor screen time and spending. Children need to be 13 years old to be on Discord, but can input whatever birthdate they want sans verification.
In “Content and Social,” you can disallow direct messages from other people in servers. You can also change “friend requests,” and see blocked accounts/ignored accounts. Ask your child why they’re blocking or ignoring people.
In “Connections,” you can see Twitter, Spotify etc. Don’t link accounts. Try to lock accounts down as best as you can, so it’s harder to find your child on different platforms.
In “Devices,” look to see if someone is logged in to your account and lives elsewhere.
It’s never a good idea to have your child use his/her real name as a username.
In “Gift Inventory,” you can check if someone is buying your child a gift card or other item.
Your child can create their own server and add people to it, like a chat.
Click on the three dots in the top right corner, click “Report User Profile.” Here you can add information about anyone requesting pictures etc. Discord will have the email for that person. Cops can get that information and find where the perpetrator is located.
Set parental controls on your child’s phone. It’s very helpful. Then, they can’t just download an app without you knowing it.
“Tell your students that what they send is always out there” -Mr. Taylor Schiller, Cyber Crime Unit, BCI
Progress on Protections for Children – In the News
On June 1st, 2026, ABC aired a story with the byline “AFT Pres. Calls for Screen Band, A.I. Limits in Schools.” In this story, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President, Ms. Randi Weingarten, announced a plan for schools to limit screens, which included the following 10 points:
- No Screens for Students in PreK-2nd Grade
- No Student-Facing AI in Elementary Schools & Total Ban on “Social Companion” Chatbots until Age 16
- Implement Active Learning at all Grade Levels
- Ensure Foundation in Literacy, Numeracy & Civics
- Focus on Well-being
- Protect Intellectual Property & Academic Freedom & Support Educators’ Understanding of Technology Integration
- Establish New Standards for AI Safety and Privacy
- Create an Independent Body to Define Effective Education Practices, including the Effects of AI, Screens & Technology on Students
- Ensure Education Funding by States & Federal Government
- Tax Big Tech to Offset Adverse & Disruptive Consequences of Technology
Ms. Weingarten is the leader of the second largest teachers union in the United States, and has served in this role since 2008. As she leads this 1.8 million-member union, her voice holds weight and calls to local, state, and federal entities to enact meaningful change.
In other recent news coverage, the $18B Meta settlement aims to resolve lawsuits accusing Facebook and Instagram of harming children’s mental health and violating privacy laws, and agrees to protections for youth on social media. On August 30th, 2026 the D.C. Attorney General, Mr. Brian Schwalb, spoke on Fox News regarding the harmful impacts of social media on our youth, especially for 14-year old girls comparing themselves to others online.
These two stories highlight a growing trend in online protections for children that have the potential to enact real, profound, positive change for our students’ mental health. It is my hope that this progress continues, and parents provide their time and attention to this growing movement to help our students and educators. I encourage you to attend the next “Vision Parent Initiative” series – or even just one – on Minot AFB to gain greater awareness and skill to protect your child(ren) in our digital world.
The information in this article is provided as a resource and does not constitute endorsement by Minot AFB, the United States Air Force, or the Department of War of the external website, or the information, products, or services contained therein.
