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Illicit Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. There are two types of fentanyl: pharmaceutical fentanyl and illicit fentanyl. Our work addresses illicit fentanyl. Drug cartels make and supply deadly illicit fentanyl either as a standalone substance, as an additive in other dangerous street drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, or as substitutes for these drugs. Illicit fentanyl is purposely and deceptively added to other drugs because of its extreme potency, making drugs cheaper, more powerful, more addictive, and more dangerous. Illicit fentanyl has also been identified in counterfeit prescription pills. These fake pills are made to look identical to legitimate prescription pills — such as Oxycontin®, Percocet®, Vicodin®, Adderall®, Xanax® and other medicines—and have been found in every state in the country. Criminal drug networks are also harnessing the accessibility of social media to push deadly drugs into American communities.

Read more here and take action with Voices for Awareness Facing Fentanyl. 

Listen here. Please also learn more and follow Dr. Fran and Nurses United Against Human Trafficking fighting to abolish modern-day slavery.

Our partners at Gabb Wireless tell us that in the last several years, there has been a significant decline in youth mental health and troubling incidences of youth violence.

So how do emojis have anything to do with self-harm and violence? The Crisis Text Line analyzed over 129 million messages and discovered that those who use the pill emoji (💊) in texts with the hotline were 4.4 times more likely to die by suicide than others. (Crisis Text Line, 2020)
Most cell phones (even Gabb Phones) have emojis. Usually, emojis are a fun way to communicate with others and express yourself. In most cases, emojis are harmless, but parents need to understand how emojis can be used to indicate self-harm and violence.

This information is meant to empower parents to take a second look if their kid is using any of these emojis in a negative way. Also, use Promo Code LYNNSWARRIORS for a discount to devices to keep your kids safe.
👉Learn more! #OnlineSafety #Kids #Teens #ParentingTips #ParentingHack #Parenting #DigitalSafety #Emojis

Last week at the National Organization for Women’s New York office, women’s rights advocates, anti-trafficking groups and former prostitutes convened to galvanize New Yorkers to take action against the city’s booming sex trade. In addition to arguing for enforcement of existing laws — and for the penalization of buyers and pimps as opposed to the women and children who are their victims — they wanted to send an important message about the language used around the problem.

“The media uses terms like ‘sex work’ and ‘sex worker’ in their reporting, treating prostitution as a job like any other,” said Melanie Thompson, a 27-year-old woman from New York City who introduced herself as a “Black sex-trafficking and prostitution survivor.” The language of “sex work,” she argued, implies falsely that engaging in the sex trade is a choice most often made willingly; it also absolves sex buyers of responsibility. (My colleague Nicholas Kristof recently profiled Thompson, who now works for the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women.)

“I urge the media to remove the terms ‘sex work’ and ‘sex worker’ from your style handbooks,” she said.

Read more here. 

Parents should NOT be left in the dark on the well being of their children!

No government body has that right over the parents. ⁦@NewJerseyDOE ⁩ ⁦⁦@NewJerseyOAG

Read more here.

The Saturn app is exploding in popularity among high schoolers, but parents are raising the alarm about serious privacy issues for kids

The new school year is starting, and that means kids’ social calendars are exploding with orientations, sports events, and club meet-ups, among other things. But gone are the days of paper calendars and invites. Now, kids are flocking to alternatives like the Saturn app, which has seen huge growth after being marketed as a way for high schoolers to find their classmates, sync their schedules, and keep up with social events at their schools.

Saturn allows students to register with their school and graduation year, then see who is in all of their classes, post and view bulletins of school events, and exchange direct messages with other students. The app is billed as a “social calendar,” acting as a planner where students can keep up with school and social events, homework deadlines, and class schedules, but also chat with their friends. So while many are claiming it’s an app to replace paper planners, it’s really a form of social media.

Read more here. 

Two Nigerian hackers in ‘sextortion’ ring that caused Michigan high school football star to kill himself after they conned him into sending nude pictures are extradited to the US

Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and his younger brother Samson Ogoshi, 20, of Lagos, were flown to the US Sunday after being charged in a four-count indictment
They were charged with the sexual exploitation of minors and with causing the death of Jordan DeMay, a 17-year-old Michigan high school student.
Six hours after DeMay was approached for money after sending nudes, he was dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound

Two Nigerian men have been extradited to the US to face allegations they orchestrated a sexual extortion scheme that ended with a 17-year-old high school student in Michigan taking his own life.

Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and his younger brother Samson Ogoshi, 20, of Lagos, were flown to the US Sunday after being charged in a four-count indictment with the sexual exploitation of minors and with causing the death of Jordan DeMay.

DeMay, a high school senior from Marquette, Michigan, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in March 2022 after three Nigerian men pretended to be a female online and coerced him to send explicit photos of himself.

Read more here

It’s always stressful preparing for the upcoming school year. Take action with these easy steps.

A recent report tell us that 70% of monies spent right now for school prep is for buying new devices. Beware. Talk to your kids. Open and honest communication. Safety features and filters enacted. Do you know what your kids are doing online? The predators do.

1. Screen-time schedule – limit
2. Promote reading – windows to the world
3. Work on earlier bedtime after carefree summer
4. Homework routine – practice
5. Plan ahead – get organized
6. Family partnerships – reassure kids you are there for them.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy will name a 19-member panel of education leaders, parents, students and others to study the effects of social media and make recommendations for the 2024-2025 academic year.

New Jersey could become the next state to restrict student social media and smartphone use in schools under legislation recently signed by Gov. Phil Murphy.

The law, noted in a news release last month, ordered a commission to study the effects of adolescent social media use both inside and outside of the classroom. The 19-member commission will be appointed before the end of this month. It will consist of the state commissioner of education, four members of the public appointed by the New Jersey Legislature, and 14 others appointed by Gov. Murphy — two public school students, two parents of children enrolled in public schools, a school nurse, a specialist on social media data collection, and other experts representing the education, psychology and child advocacy fields.

Read more here.