Forum Will Discuss Dangers Of Social Media

A public education forum planned for Monday night will focus on the pitfalls of social media.  The discussion is being held by the Hamilton County Sheriff's office and will touch on the rise of social media crime. 

Hamilton County Sheriff Mark Bowen says the forum will provide families with valuable information on preventing online abuse and dealing with the problems it creates.

"Issues such as cyberbulling, identity fraud, sexual misconduct," says Bowen, "certainly there are a lot of serious consequences."

Detective Alex Petty, who handles the department's cybercrime cases, will lead the presentation. 

Many teens are involved with multiple sites every day and managing the quickly advancing medium can be difficult.

The meeting is directed at families with teens, but anyone with social media concerns is invited to attend.

The forum starts at 7 p.m. Monday night at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds.