Category: Five Things Book

  • Update: Anne Marie Miller’s Response on the Aderholt Indictment plus SBC and IMB Responses

    Update: Anne Marie Miller’s Response on the Aderholt Indictment plus SBC and IMB Responses

    On Mr. Aderholt’s Indictment:

    It has been a while since I’ve updated what’s been happening with Mr. Aderholt on my site. On December 19, the Tarrant County, Texas, Grand Jury met and indicted Mr. Aderholt on four felony charges: three charges of indecency with a child under 17 and one charge of sexual assault of a child under 17. I do feel the need to clarify the word “assault” here. Never was my abuse violent. He did not rape me, as the name suggests. I’ve never been comfortable with explaining the details publicly, so if you’re inclined to go and look at Texas Penal Code and find out what that means, by all means, it’s a free internet. But one thing I’ve always wanted is transparency and to speak with clarity when it comes to the things I am sure of and disclosure when there is confusion.

    His next date is a court date on January 15 where he will enter his plea. We expect it will go all the way to a trial setting. Having to share the details of this trauma publicly gives me a lot of anxiety, but if Mr. Aderholt continues to deny the facts of what happened and maintains his innocence, that’s what will have to happen. I have full confidence in the Tarrant County DA’s office and there already has been so much evidence presented. Not only did the IMB conclude in 2007 that abuse occurred (though they called it an inappropriate relationship and not abuse) after I reported it to authorities in Spring 2018, they conducted a several-months-long investigation that concluded there was enough evidence for his arrest. From his arrest, the DA’s office further gathered evidence and presented it to a grand jury. I was told that because of my age at the time (16) many grand jurors think that’s close enough to 17, which is the age of consent in Texas, so I was given a 50/50 probability for his indictment. When he was indicted for more charges than he was originally arrested for, it was encouraging to know these folks saw the full extent of what happened and realized the gravity of the crime.

    On my personal response:

    The range of emotions after his indictment are all over the place. I’m happy because the truth is being heard and actionable steps are being taken by the criminal justice system. I’m grieved because of the messages I’ve received from people who know Mr. Aderholt that also range from denial to confirmation; some say it’s something he could never do and others say they weren’t surprised. I cannot imagine what his family is going through and from the day I knew he and his wife married as he told me they would, I hurt for her. I regret not emailing her back in 1997 because maybe all of this could have been prevented. His kids are old enough to understand and the consequences for what he’s done can realistically separate his family for a long time. Knowing the love I have for my daughter and how being away at work stirs in me a longing and a missing like no other, how much uncertainty and anxiety they must be experiencing. I grieve for them the most; I am not the only victim. I pray for them, and Mark, daily. I’ve also felt incredibly supported online and with friends and most family.

    On the International Mission Board (IMB)’s response:

    The IMB (who knew about the abuse in 2007 and failed to report it) has hired a law firm to conduct an investigation into how they handle misconduct. It seems to be entirely a self-serving action rather than a victim-serving one. They want to keep their “staff and their families safe”” overseas and no mention is made about past victims or the responsibility to protect the very vulnerable with whom they work. Someone from the firm contacted me but it was before the Grand Jury hearing so I wasn’t at liberty to speak with them. I am now, and will keep you posted on those conversations.

    On the SBC’s response:

    As far as the SBC response, after many emails asking for specific help-help outside of summits and study groups-I received this email back from JD Greear.*

    Dear Anne,

    Thanks so much for reaching out. I continue to grieve over all that has happened, to the degree that I find myself unsure what to do or say other than to pray and to do everything in my power to get this right. I do understand what you are saying: committees and study groups by themselves are not enough. And I agree. As you know, my authority as Southern Baptist Convention President is limited, but we must insist churches (and institutions) act in ways that help survivors and deter predators, and do all we can to educate them with the means to do so. That is the purpose of my initiatives in this. My heart’s desire is to do everything I can to explore tangible action steps that can make a difference from this point forward, and that’s what I am doing. I know that this was a big week, and I continue to pray for healing and justice for you. –JDG

    I replied with some very specific struggles (a very absent faith and hope and trusting God in a spiritual desert) and specific suggestions: connecting me with some pastors or counseling resources in DFW for instance (it’s been over 3 years since I’ve been to church). Surely his “limited authority” as president of the SBC” can connect me to a few local places for help. I have not heard back and it’s been over two weeks.**

    On the reality of it all

    I am learning to put no hope into institutional or organizational entities. I will never, ever see the help or receive the support I need from the people who should be and are held accountable for this. Instead, I continue to take refuge in my little family, in school, and at work and knowing that I will be able to serve families of trauma victims so they will not have to live with decades of trauma hiding in their bodies. I apply to upper-level nursing school this summer and I’m so excited.

    On the book, Healing Together: A Guide for Helping Sexual Abuse Survivors

    [featured-image single_newwindow=”false”]

    Also, with the holidays, moving into a new house, and starting a new job, I haven’t had an iota of time to work on “Healing Together” or to update the Patreon page for that matter.

    BUT HERE’S A BIG THING: I have decided to make Healing Together: A Guide for Helping Sexual Abuse Survivors COMPLETELY FREE as an eBook/PDF and make the paperback as inexpensive as I can using Amazon’s Createspace which I used to self publish the reprint of Mad Church Disease, Beating Burnout, and my Advent book.

    I don’t want people to think I am capitalizing on my–or anybody else’s–trauma. I don’t want to make money on a book. I don’t want money to get in the way of people finding help and healing. The whole “Christian” publishing industry burned me out so badly with its expectations and that is why I bought back my last book contract. I didn’t want to write, and I had nothing to say to the world through that medium.

    If you do pray, please pray for me as I write and that book and hopefully, through Patreon, we can get our very basic costs of doing business (web hosting, design, editing) taken care of. ANY and ALL extra funds will go to help SURVIVORS. PERIOD. All of it. Tim’s and my jobs provide our income. This project is not about padding the Millers’ bank account. I’ll talk more about Patreon next time I write and share how you can contribute to the basic business costs of me self-publishing this book (and how to give more if you want to give to survivor funds).

    As always, thank you for your love, prayers, faith, and kind words. They matter. And you matter too.

    Anne Miller

    *&**: I’ve updated this to reflect an email I received this evening after posting this. In my original post, I made a snarky comment that Mr. Greear only emailed me after the Star-Telegram wrote about the absence of communication from the SBC. In my initial response to him, I told him that I found the timing curious but would choose to believe the best. My earlier post did not reflect me “believing the best” and for that I apologize. I was wrong. Since posting this, I received another email from Mr. Greear following up with me on tangible way he is trying to support me/us. I am grateful for his reply.

  • It’s Never Too Late to Begin!

    5-things-every-parent-anne-miller


    Yesterday was a big day. 5 Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Their Kids and Sex is finally here! Yes, talking to your kids about sex and porn and social media can be awkward, but it is SO necessary.

    5ThingsMed

    While we’re waiting, our kids are getting their questions answered and their perceptions of sex and sexuality formed elsewhere–through online searches and a daily diet of mainstream and social media that may shock you. With 5 Things, it’s my goal to educate, encourage and equip parents (and youth leaders, friends, family, anyone, really!) to have these meaningful conversations that will forever change the landscape of the messed up messages the media communicates to us.

    • order-nowEquips parents to take control of the narrative their children are receiving about sex.
    • Shows how to have meaningful and age-appropriate conversations about sex, pornography, and sexual abuse.
    • Helps parents how to keep the lines of communication open so kids will trust their parents with their fears, struggles and questions.

    It’s never too late to begin. You can purchase 5 Things today –paperback or eBook–from the following bookstores:

    In my online webstore: $11.25*
    *Use the code “HELP” when you check out and the book will cost $11.25

    Amazon.com: Currently $12.50

    Baker Books: Currently $15.99

    Books-A-Million: Currently $15.99

    Barnes & Noble: Currently 12.37

    Family Christian: Currently $15.99

    Overstock.com: Currently $12.41

    Walmart.com: Currently $12.63

  • Apps Every Parent Needs to Know About: Whisper

    Apps Every Parent Needs to Know About: Whisper

    5 Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Their Kids & Sex Ships Next Week!

    Get it in your mailbox (or on your e-reading device) next Tuesday, May 17!

    Pre-order my book Five Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Their Kids and Sex

    pre-order-freebie-5-things-every-parent-needs-to-know

    Don’t forget to grab your copy before the release date (May 17!), and get some great freebies that will help you talk to your kids about sex.


    Today’s App Every Parent Needs to Know About (full series here) is Whisper. It’s made the rounds in media and has received some bad press–maybe rightfully so, as it’s another app that allows users to anonymously post pictures, secrets, confessions, questions, and chat privately with others and share their location or only look at Whispers that are nearby.


    parents-apps-whisper

    Whisper’s Purpose (according to their app store description):

    “Ever wondered what the people around you are really thinking? Whisper is an online community where millions of people around the world share real thoughts, trade advice, and get the inside scoop. See what people are thinking at the places you visit, like your school. Chat directly with other Whisper users – it’s a great way to meet new people. Join the 30 million+ people who use Whisper every month; it will change the way you see the world.”


    Terms of Service/App Rating: Whisper is rated 17+ in the app store for:

    • Frequent/Intense Mature/Suggestive Themes
    • Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor
    • Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References

    In the Terms of Service, Whisper is very clear that the intended audience is 17+. Even still, their messaging is confusing as they say in the fine print, “If you are between 13 and 18 years of age, you may use the services provided with the consent and under the supervision of a parent or guardian, who are obliged to abide by these terms,” and the age you can claim within the app begins at the age of 15.

    So, I’m guessing they really don’t care how old you are. Parents, it’s your responsibility to limit which apps your kids download (or have access to download). On that note, Whisper offers parents advice on how to enable restrictions on their kid’s phones and tablets.

    They lay out their community guidelines simply:

    Do not be Mean, Do not be Gross, and Do Not Use Whisper to Break the Law: Do not defame, impersonate or abuse another person. Do not share personal information of another person, including address or telephone number. Hate speech directed at any group of people will be removed from our services. This includes hate speech on gender, sexuality, race, religion and ethnicity. You can use your own photos on Whisper, but do not allow images that are filthy, violent or pornographic. Do not use Whisper to promote illegal behavior like selling controlled substances or solicitations. If you solicit minors for any reason or post sexually explicit images of minors, we will suspend your account and report it to the National Center for Missing Children. Do not make threats of violence. We may share your IP, location and other information with the police if we think you are a threat to the safety of others. We are required by law to disclose your information if we receive a subpoena, court order or warrant.”


    Privacy & Parental Controls: Whisper keeps the standard amount of information that other apps keep: cookies and pixels (that track your use), geolocation (if location services are on) and does provide that information to advertisers and some third parties.

    Some notable comments, mostly in regard to Whisper’s location services–as you can see from my screenshots, it tells the user approximately how far another user is away in distance. If kids use the service and reveal any personal information (name, a photo of something outside that’s identifiable), they can be easily found.


    whisper-8The Good:

    • Compared to other apps, Whisper had the least amount of sexually explicit content. It’s not void of it completely, but there was a considerable difference.
    • You can turn location services off, but it limits how the app functions.
    • If someone is mature enough and knows how to process the mature topics or photos that do populate feeds, it could be a great place to encourage people who are going through tough times.
    • Reporting posts, users, and blocking chats is quick and easy.
    • Users can enable a NSFW (Not Safe For Work) filter which filters out some mature content.
    • Within the app settings, users can visit “Your Voice” which shares videos from users who struggle with various issues, sorted by issue (mental health, sexuality, suicide, etc.). Users can also share their own stories, which are moderated before being shared.

    The Bad: 

    • Content is user-generated, which means even if something is reported, users can view inappropriate content simply by using the app.
    • After you type in your Whisper, based on what words you use, the app suggests “related” photos to accompany it. Some of these photos are hard PG13 or rated R.
    • Location features allow for users to be easily identified if not cautious.whisper-11
    • The “My School” section is has only basic protection: anyone on campus (even across the street) from a school can log in to that school’s feed and communicate with minors.
    • Although the TOS says feeds are actively monitored for suicidal/self-harming/eating disorders/threatening posts, it’s easy to find and suggested images from the app support inappropriate messages.
    • One report I read online said users who post suicidal/self-harming/eating disordered posts are directed to help. I posted about “wishing to be dead” and “starving myself” and was not redirected to help. Instead, I was shown similar confessions from others. (see side photo)
    • Users can also add a personal PIN so that if the app is accessed, the feeds remain but personal chats and Whispers are not shown unless the PIN is entered, which can prevent parents from checking the app.
    • In my experience, as a 15-17 year old female persona in the app, in less than 24 hours, I was by a male adult in my city where I live and what school I go to.


    What you need to know: 

    One of the most concerning features of Whisper is the location-sharing element, and within that, the ease in which one can sign into a local school’s “private” feed. Unlike After School, where your ID has to be verified through Facebook and/or a state-issued ID, anyone can get on or really close to a school campus and have access to that feed without having to do anything else. 

    Like I did in After School, I chose a nearby school. To verify myself, I drove to the parking lot of the school and logged in. I pretended to be a 15-17 year old high school student and easily started chatting with other high school students, both receiving chats and sending them (I sent mine as anonymous encouragements, the ones I received were a mix of positive and sexual).

    Because there can be such a high emotional element to sharing secrets or confessions, predators can engage in conversations under the guise of being a peer and in worst-case situations, can schedule a meet up  to “help” their new friend out.


    Conversation Starter:

    I have to admit: Whisper was not as “bad” as I’ve heard. Maybe people in Iowa don’t post a lot of explicit content (or maybe users of the Whisper app compared to the After School app are toned down.) While it wasn’t completely teen-friendly, more mature teens could use this app with extreme caution and could be a source of encouragement for others.

    Chances are, if you have a junior high or high school student, they know about the Whisper app. What are your child’s app settings? Are they restricted from downloading certain content (like 12+ or 17+)?

    • Have you heard of the app Whisper? Tell me about it.
    • Have you ever shared something on Whisper or read someone else’s secret?
    • Has someone you don’t know tried to start a private chat with you? What did/would you do?
    • What would you do if you saw on Whisper that someone wanted to hurt themselves or others?
    • What are some ways you might accidentally share your location? (i.e., geographically identifying pictures, using photos in public places that other can see)

    5ThingsMedEducating, Encouraging and Equipping Parents

    Nervous about talking to your kids about sex? Anxiety over having “the talk” often means we avoid it as long as we can. While we’re waiting, our kids are getting their questions answered and their perceptions of sex and sexuality formed elsewhere–through online searches and a daily diet of mainstream and social media that may shock you. In this immensely practical and well-researched book, Anne Marie Miller:

    • Equips parents to take control of the narrative their children are receiving about sex.order-now
    • Shows how to have meaningful and age-appropriate conversations about sex, pornography, and sexual abuse.
    • Helps parents keep the lines of communication open so kids will trust them with fears, struggles and questions.
  • Apps Every Parent Needs to Know About: Instagram

    Apps Every Parent Needs to Know About: Instagram

    Quick Reminder: Have you pre-ordered my book Five Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Their Kids and Sex?

    pre-order-freebie-5-things-every-parent-needs-to-know

    Don’t forget to grab your copy before the release date, and get some great freebies that will help you talk to your kids about sex.


    apps-every-parent-needs-to-know-instagramToday’s App Every Parent Needs to Know About (full series here) is one of the most popular social media apps around. More than likely, you have it on your phone. More than likely, your kids might too.

    It’s the photo (and video) sharing app: Instagram.

    Instagram is one of the classic apps, making its debut in late 2010. They’ve managed to stay relevant and widely-used. Unlike my other social media channels (Twitter, Facebook), I follow a small group of people–mostly friends and family–and a few celebrities or organizations. I engage with the app most days, and use it to keep track of what’s happening in the lives of friends.

    Because Instagram’s content is user-generated, I knew there had to be sexual content on it, but it rarely appears to me due to Instagram’s algorithms, which shows you content you’d likely enjoy the most (so in my “What’s Popular” feed, there are lots of pregnancy posts, puppies, and food/drink pictures…which is pretty customized to the things with which I naturally interact).

    However, Instagram’s innocence disappears with only a few clicks.

    Instagram’s Purpose (according to their app description):

    “Instagram is a simple way to capture and share the world’s moments. Transform your everyday photos and videos into works of art and share them with your family and friends.”


    Terms of Service/App Rating: Instagram is rated 12+ in the app store for:

    • Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References
    • Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content and Nudity
    • Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor
    • Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes

    In their Terms of Service, Instagram is very clear that the intended audience is 13+ and they also state:

    You may not post violent, nude, partially nude, discriminatory, unlawful, infringing, hateful, pornographic or sexually suggestive photos or other content; You must not defame, stalk, bully, abuse, harass, threaten, impersonate or intimidate people or entities and you must not post private or confidential information via the Service, including, without limitation, your or any other person’s credit card information, social security or alternate national identity numbers, non-public phone numbers or non-public email addresses.”


    Privacy: Instagram keeps the standard amount of information that other apps keep: cookies and pixels (that track your use), geolocation (if location services are on) and does provide that information to advertisers and some third parties. As far as parental controls and user privacy, there are only a few options:

    1. Don’t post your location if you don’t want people to know where you are.
    2. Keep your account “private,” which removes any public access.

    Instagram says,

    “Any information or content that you voluntarily disclose for posting to the Service, such as User Content, becomes available to the public, as controlled by any applicable privacy settings that you set. To change your privacy settings on the Service, please change your profile setting. Once you have shared User Content or made it public, that User Content may be re-shared by others.”


    instagram-5
    Reporting is Easy

    The Good:

    • If a user doesn’t wander outside his or her feed or click any hashtags, the probability of viewing something unwanted or inappropriate is relatively low (unless someone a user follows directly posts something inappropriate or is hacked).
    • Users can keep their accounts private, which blocks any public searches and sharing of information.
    • Instagram automatically blocks obvious inappropriate hashtags–for example, if you searched for #sex, nothing will show up.
    • Instagram makes reporting and blocking posts or accounts that violate their Terms of Service really easy, just by clicking “Report” and choosing the reason.

    The Bad: Anything outside of a user’s feed is only a few clicks away from trouble.

    • Accounts who post inappropriate material often use common, innocent hashtags to have their posts show up to larger audiences, i.e, you can click on the hashtag #dogsofinstagram because you want to see more pictures of dogs, but an explicit photo or video will find its way into that feed because the user tagged it #dogsofinstagram.
    • Curious users who want to find inappropriate material don’t have to try very hard. Whereas #sex may not have any results, simply turn the word into #sexy and you have millions of posts, most which violate Instagram’s terms, right at your fingertips.
    • It’s also super popular to follow celebrities on Instagram. I don’t want to pick on Kim Kardashian, but she’s always made infamous headlines for posting some mostly-nude photos (which, based on Instagram’s TOS, I do not understand why they are still up–see example below).
    • Celebrities can post explicit material, and project what someone is “supposed” to look like (skinny, sexy, wearing certain items, not wearing certain items; essentially they can be negative role models for body image and online behaviors).
    • Users can tag their location and publicize where they live, go to school, work, etc.

    What you need to know: 

    Although Instagram has a straight forward TOS and privacy settings, beyond that, there are no parental controls available. It would be awesome if they could implement a rating system for users and, at the very least, try to have more control over who sees what. Public users are also allowed to send private messages to other public users, unless they are blocked. And even if a user is set as “private,” someone can always take a screen shot of his or her post and repost it publicly. You wouldn’t believe the number of phone numbers I see on junior high and high school students’ private posts that have been shared. Also, Instagram allows a user to clear searches, so hiding the history is easy to do.


    Conversation Starter:

    It’s likely you and members of your family use Instagram. I realize that by sharing some of these “shortcuts,” it may open pandora’s box, so to speak. Maybe your kids would never think about searching for #sexy on Instagram. Then again, maybe they already have, or have clicked an innocent hashtag, or have been followed by an explicit account.

    The real question here is do you know?

    Instead of sheltering, open up to your kids and let them know you’re sharing this because you care about what they see online. You don’t have to give them an instruction book for how to find content they shouldn’t see, but by asking them questions, you can move forward in this conversation in a productive and appropriate way.

    • Do you use Instagram? What do you like about it? What don’t you like?
    • Is your account set to private? Who follows you? Who do you follow? Why?
    • What are some funny things you’ve seen on Instagram? Have you ever seen anything inappropriate? (Note: if they answer yes, don’t freak out. Engage them!)
    • Do you know how to report things that shouldn’t be on Instagram?
    • Tell me what you know about hashtags…how do people use them?

    Educating, Encouraging and Equipping Parents

    5ThingsMedNervous about talking to your kids about sex? Anxiety over having “the talk” often means we avoid it as long as we can. While we’re waiting, our kids are getting their questions answered and their perceptions of sex and sexuality formed elsewhere–through online searches and a daily diet of mainstream and social media that may shock you. In this immensely practical and well-researched book, Anne Marie Miller:

    • order-nowEquips parents to take control of the narrative their children are receiving about sex.
    • Shows how to have meaningful and age-appropriate conversations about sex, pornography, and sexual abuse.
    • Helps parents how to keep the lines of communication open so kids will trust their parents with their fears, struggles and questions.

     

  • Tons of Freebies!

    Tons of Freebies!

    Have you pre-ordered Five Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Their Kids and Sex yet? Have you been thinking about it? 

    Oh, happy day! It’s time to get rewarded for your eagerness!

    pre-order-freebie-5-things-every-parent-needs-to-know

    The book ships on May 17–just a couple weeks from now. And to thank you for pre-ordering the book, I made up a nice little package of freebies for you. Now, I wish I could throw in some cookies or a new puppy, but unfortunately, neither of those ship really well. Instead, if you pre-order Five Things by May 17, email me a copy of your receipt or order confirmation and I’ll send you:

    • A 35 minute audio file of a Q&A my husband Tim and I did with parents that covers their questions on sex, porn and social media.
    • A 30 page eBook containing everything from my series on Apps Every Parent Needs to Know About so you can easily reference information and share it with your friends. You’ll also get an updated file every time we add a new app!
    • A free trial of the Internet accountability and filtering software, Covenant Eyes. Sign up using the code I’ll give you and you’ll get to try this amazing software (which Tim and I use on all our devices) for free!

    How do you get all this? It’s super easy!

    1. Pre-order the book (you can find all the retailers at 5ThingsBook.com – Bonus: You can get the first 30 pages of the book there for free)
    2. Send me the copy of your receipt or confirmation number to freebies@annemariemiller.com
    3. I’ll send you a link to download all these wonderful freebies to help your family begin redeeming the conversation about sex!

    Now, I can’t make any promises, but it’s been the norm in my experience that people who pre-order books actually receive them before their official ship date. I have no control over this, but you may even get the book a bit earlier than if you waited until it officially released.

    Questions? Comments? Just shoot me an email and let me know!

    Lots of love,

    Anne Marie

  • Apps Every Parent Needs to Know About: After School

    Apps Every Parent Needs to Know About: After School

    Update: May 4, 2016 – A special welcome to parents who saw the “After School” story on CBS 2 or Fox 28 news. Since I’m a Corridor gal, if there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know! We’re in this together as a community!

    Preface:

    This was one of the hardest posts on apps I’ve ever written. How bad could an app be if it’s totally meant for teens? Where do I draw the line in what I share and what I don’t? How can I share the shocking truth without being gratuitous? 

    Here’s the deal: on this post, I’m not sharing everything I could. And I’m doing my best to tone down what I am showing you, but the reality is hard: our teenagers, as young as 13 (and maybe younger), are being exposed to this. I’m sorry if you find the content offensive, but please know my intent is to be educational. It may be offensive to some, but we should be more offended that this is passing in front of our kids’ eyes on an increasing basis. 

    About a year and a half ago, I heard of the app After School, and by the time I went to download it, it was removed from app stores because of threats of violence and the app developers’ inability to monitor/delete inappropriate content. Recently, a mother and educator told me about the problems her school’s been having with the app. I realized it was back, and it wasn’t better than ever.

    Here’s the fifth installment of the series Apps Every Parent Needs to Know About, talking (as much as we can, anyway) about the very private app After School.

    (To read earlier reviews in this series, click here).


    TODAY’S APP: After School

    You guys.

    I spend about a day or so researching the apps I write about. There are always other stories, other reports, and other reviews out there, but I want to give you my personal experience using the app. The screenshots are from my time spent in the app–it’s my first hand experience.

    In order to even get access to log in to After School, I had to…pretend…to be a local high school student via my Facebook page. I needed to change my age (I chose 17) and my grade (a junior) at a local Cedar Rapids area high school (which I will not name as to protect the privacy of any students). Changing your birthday on Facebook is a hassle, but it can be done. So while After School may not be the easiest app for predators to creep on, it’s still possible.

    If you go to the After School website, you’ll be greeted by a collage of normal-looking, happy high schoolers, some with videos sharing why the love the After School app. At a first glance, it’s totally harmless (save the few mentions of the word “anonymous”). There’s no apparent nudity or sexual material. Even the app’s page in the Apple App Store is mostly innocent.

    Where’s the harm? Keep reading.

    After School’s Purpose (according to their app description)

    “Your high school experience will never be the same. After School makes every day a little bit more interesting ;).  After School is a private space for you and your school where you can find fun stuff about your friends, embarrassing stories, uplifting notes of encouragement, who is into whom and more! Then take some weight off your mind and post your confessions or hilarious observations either anonymously or with your name — it’s your choice and your network.”


    Terms of Service/App Rating: After School is rated 17+ in the app store for:

    • Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor
    • Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content and Nudity
    • Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References
    • Frequent/Intense Mature/Suggestive Themes

    However, when you go to their TOS page on their website, it says, “Don’t create an account or post any content if you are not over 13 years of age;” and says nothing about needing to be over 17 years old.

    Once you’ve downloaded the app and met their burden of proof (verified account via Facebook that you are of high school age and attend a local high school based on your phone’s GPS location), the clear audience is intended for high school students since it asks what grade you’re in (9th-12th).

    So, how can kids under 17 download the app? If their parents don’t have restrictions set up on their phones, they can download away, ignoring Apple’s rating and crossing into After School’s ethos:

    “It’s okay with us if you’re 13 or older. We won’t tell the app store that there’s a conflict between the age you’re giving us and the age you need to be to download our app.”

    After School is like your older friend who buys booze for you when you’re under the age of 21.


    Privacy: After School keeps most personal information for an undisclosed amount of time, including location, cookies and pixels on both a user’s mobile device and computer. They make it tough for law enforcement, parents and educators to work with them should an issue arise. From their site (emphasis mine):

    While we make it difficult to do so, it is still technically possible for us to connect your Posts with your email address, phone number, or other personal data you have provided to us. This means that if a court asks us to disclose your identity, we may be compelled to do so…You may be able to fight the subpoena on the basis that it violates your First Amendment right to speak anonymously.*

    *My Note: For what it’s worth, in the US, students in public schools are not protected by the First Amendment if their actions disrupt or cause harm to the student body.


    The Good: After School does provide a place to report inappropriate content, users, and has both contact info for teens who may self-harm and a generic parents’ guide on their website about social media (which isn’t that helpful).

    The Bad: Everything else.


    What you need to know: 

    After browsing what most parents would look at (the website, the app store), it appears that After School is not a big threat. You download the app and instantly the demeanor changes from innocent to sexy and private.

    Here are some screen grabs from the couple of days I was in the app. I’ve censored them to take them from an R or hard PG13 rating to a soft PG13 rating. I think you’ll be able to get the gist and I’ll let the pics speak for themselves. (Remember, in order to get this far, I had to pretend to be a verified high school student at a local school, otherwise, I wouldn’t have even gotten past the first “bouncer.” (There’s another bouncer later on in the app I was unable to pass by for more explicit material. More on that in a moment.)

    “But my kid would NEVER use this.”

    Look at the third picture there. It shows how many students are using the app and are online at the time I took the screenshot which was 10:17 AM on Monday, April 18 – a school day) at various high schools near me in Cedar Rapids.

    • 931/2025 at Linn-Mar – 46% of the students
    • 46/250 at Cedar Valley Christian School (the 250 students is an estimate of ALL students K-12, not only high school. If each grade has 21 students, that would be 84 students in high school)54% of HS students
    • 463/1378 at George Washington High – 34% of HS students
    • 697/1730 at JFK High – 40% of HS students
    • 397/705 at Xavier High – 56% of HS students
    • 589/1495 at Thomas Jefferson – 39% of HS students

    My math? 44% of students of the six closest Cedar Rapids high schools to my location are using After School.


    There is a filter in the app which “protects” younger students from more explicit material. It’s automatically set until you can prove with a State Issued ID or Drivers License that you are who you are, and that you’re over the age of 17. The name and age on the ID must match the name and age on your account. Since I am not really a 17 year old junior, when I tried verifying it using my Drivers License, it rejected me (even though I am 19 years older than their required age).

    I kept trying, contacting the support at the app, asking if my “mom” could give me permission (AKA-just me, real me) using her ID and I got so far as my “real” self was vouching for my “17-year old daughter” and I still could NOT get into this part of the app.

    So that’s where my investigation ends. I’m totally stumped, and I wasn’t about to ask an actual teen to subject their phone or eyes to what lies beyond in the explicit section of After School.


    Conversation Starter:

    I’ve said before that the basic premise of all these posts is to not write off every app or social media as inherently evil or terrible or useless. BUT IT’S REALLY REALLY HARD FOR ME TO FIND ANY REDEMPTIVE VALUE WITH THIS APP.

    Still, use this opportunity to talk to your kids about tough apps like After School. Ask some questions.

    • Have you heard about After School? Have you ever used it? If you have, what have you seen?
    • Do you know anyone who uses After School?
    • What are the benefits of using After School?
    • What are the risks?


    Miller_5ThingsEveryParent_3DSign up to get the Apps Every Parent Needs to Know About post in your inbox every week.

    But it’s not just about apps!

    Get the first 30 pages of the book Five Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Their Kids and Sex FREE here and learn more about the book.

    Nervous about talking to your kids about sex? Anxiety over having “the talk” often means we avoid it as long as we can. While we’re waiting, our kids are getting their questions answered and their perceptions of sex and sexuality formed elsewhere–through online searches and a daily diet of mainstream and social media that may shock you. In this immensely practical and well-researched book, Anne Marie Miller

    order-now

    • Equips parents to take control of the narrative their children are receiving about sex.
    • Shows how to have meaningful and age-appropriate conversations about sex, pornography, and sexual abuse.
    • Helps parents how to keep the lines of communication open so kids will trust their parents with their fears, struggles and questions.
  • Apps Every Parent Needs to Know About: kik

    Apps Every Parent Needs to Know About: kik

    Random bit of news: If you’re reading this from anywhere but my website, my website got a much-needed facelift which you can see here. Yay! It’s been difficult to narrow down what I want my focus to be as I continue writing, and I suppose I’ve landed on three things:

    • Faith,
    • Sex, and
    • Mental Health.

    Hopefully the site will be easier to navigate and provide resources for those who are looking for information on these three topics.

    Anyway, we’re in our fourth week of the series Apps Every Parent Needs to Know About and this week, we’ll cover a popular app – kik (To read previous weeks, click here).

    Today’s app: kik

    kik-ratingkik, like our previous reviews, is rated 12+ for the same reasons as the others (noticing a theme here?) for a variety of “Infrequent/Mild,” sex and suggestive themes.

    kik’s Purpose (according to their website)

    kik is a messaging app that “lets you connect with friends, groups and the world around you through chat. And now, you can chat with bots too.”

    Terms of Service: kik has some rules, regulations and tips (even a section for parents, law enforcement and educators), but you’ll have to go on their website and hunt for it. The TOS says one must be 13 to use it, but it’s rated for ages 12+ in various app stores (it used to be rated ages 9+ until recently).

    kik-rating-2

    Privacy: General privacy settings apply here–you can block and report others and the app doesn’t share any personal information (date of birth) publicly.

    kik is unique in the sense that in order to find and add a user, the other person has to know the user’s specific moniker. For instance, if you wanted to find me on kik, you can’t just search for “Anne Marie Miller” – you’d have to know my specific username.

    While that’s a plus for privacy, kik recently released a “new chats” feature that is only a few clicks away, and this is where the crazy starts to happen.

    Caution: New Chats

    According to kik’s website, under the parental guide, it says about these “new chats”

    The ‘New Chats’ feature on iOS and Android devices puts messages from people your teen hasn’t talked to before in a separate section, and turns off notifications for those messages. If your teen doesn’t want to see inbound messages from people they don’t know, they don’t have to. In one-on-one chats from new people, the profile pictures are blurred, and so are pictures or content messages they may have sent. Your teen can block and report someone new right from the messages that have been sent to them. You may want to review messages from new people with your teen, so you can decide together which new users they want to talk with.

    So, while your kid is initially protected from random people starting chats with them, it doesn’t take more than a few clicks to start engaging with strangers. And while the photos are blurred until a user accepts a new chat, the first several lines of text are displayed.

    Here’s my real life example: I registered as a new user under my real name, age, and sex (Anne Miller, 36, female). I put a photo of Tim and me up for my profile picture. But when I entered into the “new chat” section, it asked me again for my name, age, gender and picture. I played along to see how easy it was to not be me and converted to a 14 year old girl named Taylor and used a random picture of a high school girl I found on Google Images by searching for “high school senior picture.” I didn’t choose anything provocative.

    I said I was “looking for new friends” and within less than three minutes of entering a new chat, I had NINETEEN messages (that I didn’t get as a 36 year old female, for what it’s worth).

    kik-message-1

    Yes, all the photos are blurred, but I could see the content of the message. And, because I was curious (I mean researching), I opened the top chat to see what happened. For what it’s worth, I didn’t open any other chats.

    kik-message-2

    I censored this message with a red box (he asked to see my breasts, not my toes…)

    I didn’t respond, and I was blown away. I showed Tim what happened, deleted the app, deactivated my account.

    kik-parents-delete-app


    The Good: kik is an alternative to messaging where you don’t have to share your phone number (or even have one) to chat with people. I can see this being useful for traveling overseas when there’s a wifi connection and you don’t want to make your phone go international (then again, there are many other apps that accomplish this, including iOS’s built in iMessage, which is what I use and can text any phone that receives SMS over wifi). I also like that a person has to have a user’s unique user name to add them specifically (and that user has to accept the add).

    The Bad: kik does not have a special corner on alternative messaging apps. There’s nothing unique about it, and far too much junk that is only a few clicks away from any user. Simply scrolling through some public profiles and messages in chat rooms, you can see what I mean: sexual poses, people who clearly aren’t teens pretending to be teens, if they are actually using their real photos (which remember, even I didn’t do when I pretended to be a 14 year old girl). In my few minutes using the app, not only did we find highly sexualized content, but extreme bullying (telling someone they need to kill themselves).

    kik-message-3


    What you need to know: 

    We’ve talked about how most parents restrict app download for teens to the 12+ and under rating. This gives us a false sense of security thinking the apps we allow our kids to download are actually suitable for their age group. kik is just another example of how wrong this thinking is.

    Last week, a woman who is a Director of Digital Learning at a private school emailed me about kik, which was the impetus behind me choosing it for this week’s app.

    “…I had a girl walk in my office crying telling me that one of our male students was sexually harassing her using the third-party texting app KiK.  At the time, I wasn’t very familiar with KIK.  Long story short, we contacted the company that developed KIK and asked for them to give us the email address that was associated with this account.  They refused.  Our local police department requested the same information from the company, and they still refused.

    About the same time I was dealing with the KIK app at school, my husband was driving our daughter who was 12 at the time, and a couple of her friends to a party.  As he was driving, he heard one of the girls say that she was using the KIK app and on KIK she was pretending to be 16.  My husband was horrified.

    My husband emailed the dads of all the girls and told them what he had overheard, and explained to them the challenges I was having at school with KIK.  The next day, all the mothers involved called me to get more information.  At the end of each conversation, each mom made the same comment.  They said, ‘This is overwhelming.  I don’t even know where to start getting control over all of this social media stuff.’”


    Conversation Starter:

    The basic premise of all these posts is to not write off every app or social media as inherently evil or terrible or useless. As I’ve always said, maybe it’s okay for your kids to have some of these apps and that’s up to you and your kids to decide.

    Instead of locking their phones away or deleting every app but the calculator, use this opportunity to talk to your kids about how they engage with kik. Ask some questions.

    • Have you heard about kik? Have you ever used it? If you have, what have you seen?
    • Are there any kids in your school who you know have lied about their age or who they talk to on kik?
    • What would you do if someone you thought was interesting (but didn’t know) sent you a message?
    • What are the benefits of using kik? What are the risks?


    Miller_5ThingsEveryParent_3DSign up to get the Apps Every Parent Needs to Know About post in your inbox every week.

    But it’s not just about apps! Get the first 28 pages of the book Five Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Their Kids and Sex FREE here and learn more about the book.

    In Five Things Every Parent Needs to Know About their Kids and Sex, readers will discover:

    •  An easy-to-understand introduction to what the Bible says about the purpose of sex (hint: it’s awesome)

    •  Anne Marie’s personal story of being a victim of sexual abuse in her teens, her compulsive pornography use, and how she found freedom from her shame and pain through her faith and her community.

    •  What, when, and how to talk to kids at any age about sexuality, researched and reviewed by professionals in medicine, child development and psychology.

    •  How the media plays a role in how we develop our sexual worldview (and how to talk about it).

    •  That pornography is being accessed and shared by children in elementary schools, how it affects our brains, and viewing pornography creates a need in the supply-and-demand chain linked to sex trafficking.

    •  How to watch for symptoms that your child may be sexually abused and how to discuss this tender topic with children of all ages.

    •  There is hope! For adults, for children, and for generations to come. It’s time to redeem the conversation!

  • How Much, How Soon? When To Talk to Your Kids About Sex

    How Much, How Soon? When To Talk to Your Kids About Sex

    Today, over on BeliefNet, I’m sharing an abbreviated excerpt from 5 Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Their Kids and Sex, specifically on the topic of “how much, how soon?”

    5 Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Their Kids and SexThis is probably one of the most common questions I get. In the full chapter, we go a lot deeper into the WHY and the HOW of each age group, starting at birth and going all the way up through adulthood, but here’s just a little bit on each age group for you!

    If you haven’t already, you can download the first 28 pages of the book for free here.

    Below, there’s another good chunk of 5 Things for you, for free! Enjoy!

    Lots of love~

    Anne

    (PS – if you click over to the full article, the stock photo they use for the piece is hilariously awkward! I love it!)


    When it comes to parents talking to their kids about sex, the most common question I hear again and again is when parents should start the discussion.

    When’s the right time? When’s too early? Is it too late? How much do I share? When do I share? Talking to your kids about sex is not a onetime event. It is an ongoing conversation.

    You’ll talk to your kids about various aspects of sexuality from the time they’re in diapers, through their elementary school and teenage years and, yes, even into adulthood.

    CONTINUE READING…

  • Praying for 5 Things

    5-things-book-prayer-team

    In one month and five days, my newest book 5 Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Their Kids and Sex will ship to parents and families around the world. I am so thrilled the conversation about healthy, Biblical sexuality is starting to move more and more into the forefront of parents’ conversations – and the Church’s conversation as well.

    An author can have launch teams, endorsements, influencers, giveaways, etc., etc., etc., and even have a best-selling book out of it all. And while, yeah, that stuff is great, the message of this book is so much larger than that. 

    5 Things sole purpose is to educate, encourage and equip parents to talk to their kids about sex using age-appropriate conversation.

    • It talks about why sex matters.
    • When to talk about what.
    • How media influences kids.
    • The vast influence of pornography on children, our brains, and the trafficking industry.
    • Recognizing and healing from child abuse.
    • And hope. And resources. Lots of both.

    I have five things I’m praying for 5 Things, and I know I need a team of people praying for the book too.

    If that sounds like something you’d like to do, will you shoot me an email?

    We’ll be praying:

    1. That 5 Things will be printed and shipped without any delays
    2. That those who need to read the book will find out about it and be able to access it financially
    3. That churches will embrace and share the message of 5 Things
    4. That the enemy, the devil, satan (whatever you want to call it) will not have any fingerprints on this book and this message, and will stay far, far away from it
    5. That this book and its message will change the future for families all over the world, helping them find freedom, healing, and removing the “sex is dirty” stigma from our “Christian” point of view.

    It’s time to redeem the conversation! I would love if you’d let me know you’re praying.

    Lots of love,

    Anne