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24 men—including a cop—were arrested for luring kids for sex using online games.

As if parents needed another reason to fret about their kids’ Fortnite obsession, let’s add child predators to the list.

New Jersey authorities have announced the outcome of their statewide undercover sting “Operation Open House,” and it should put all parents on watch. A police sergeant, a firefighter, a nurse, and a convicted sex offender were among the 24 men arrested for trying to lure kids and teens online into meeting them for sex. The men used various online venues, including popular games such as Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox, to communicate with their potential victims.

You read that right. A police officer and a firefighter—our revered “good guy” first responders—were among the accused predators. Undercover officers engaged in online chats with the suspects in order to catch them attempting to engage in sexual activity with minors—and it worked.


Twenty-four men caught preying on children online. In just one sting. In just one state.

I know. I want to puke, too.

The undercover officers posed as 14- and 15-year-olds, chatting with the men who claimed to be teens too.

Richard Conte, a 47-year-old police sergeant in the Howell Township Police Department, thought he was chatting with a 15-year-old girl on social media when he arranged to meet with her. When he arrived at the Toms River house they agreed upon, he was met by a Toms River police officer and arrested.

Conte, along with the 23 other men caught during “meet week,” tried to meet kids and teens in person for sexual activity. Posing as teenagers themselves online, they deceive their victims into thinking they’re going to meet up with a peer. Conte had told the undercover officer (the one he thought was a 15-year-old girl) that he was a 19-year-old male. Since the arrest, Conte has been suspended from the department without pay.

All 24 men are charged with luring. Some also face additional charges of attempted sexual assault on a child.

There are some things parents can do to protect kids—besides shuttering them in a tower with no internet access until they’re 21.  

As a parent, stories like this are terrifying. We all like to think our kids are smart enough not to fall prey to sickos online, but they're kids. Their brains aren’t fully developed, they don’t always exercise the best judgement, and predators know how to manipulate them. It’s tempting to want to just ban the internet and never let them leave the house.

But we live in a world that is very much intertwined with—and in many ways reliant on—the internet. Making online spaces safer and preparing kids with the skill they need to wisely navigate online worlds will go farther in keeping them safe in the long term.

“It’s critical that parents talk to their children about social media and chat apps to let them know that the people they encounter may not be who they initially seemed to be,” New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a press conference.

Parents need to warn their kids and explain what strangers are capable of. This is one instance where scaring kids crapless seems perfectly justified. It’s also important for parents to utilize built-in safety features. If you don’t think your child is ready for in-game chatting with strangers, you can turn off that feature in many games.

It takes vigilance to keep our kids safe, both online and off. This is a good reminder to not let our guard down, no matter how popular or common an online game may be.  

Planet

Easy (and free!) ways to save the ocean

The ocean is the heart of our planet. It needs our help to be healthy.

Ocean Wise

Volunteers at a local shoreline cleanup

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The ocean covers over 71% of the Earth’s surface and serves as our planet’s heart. Ocean currents circulate vital heat, moisture, and nutrients around the globe to influence and regulate our climate, similar to the human circulatory system. Cool, right?

Our ocean systems provide us with everything from fresh oxygen to fresh food. We need it to survive and thrive—and when the ocean struggles to function healthfully, the whole world is affected.

Pollution, overfishing, and climate change are the three biggest challenges preventing the ocean from doing its job, and it needs our help now more than ever. Humans created the problem; now humans are responsible for solving it.

#BeOceanWise is a global rallying cry to do what you can for the ocean, because we need the ocean and the ocean needs us. If you’re wondering how—or if—you can make a difference, the answer is a resounding YES. There are a myriad of ways you can help, even if you don’t live near a body of water. For example, you can focus on reducing the amount of plastic you purchase for yourself or your family.

Another easy way to help clean up our oceans is to be aware of what’s known as the “dirty dozen.” Every year, scientists release an updated list of the most-found litter scattered along shorelines. The biggest culprit? Single-use beverage and food items such as foam cups, straws, bottle caps, and cigarette butts. If you can’t cut single-use plastic out of your life completely, we understand. Just make sure to correctly recycle plastic when you are finished using it. A staggering 3 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans annually. Imagine the difference we could make if everyone recycled!

The 2022 "Dirty Dozen" ListOcean Wise

If you live near a shoreline, help clean it up! Organize or join an effort to take action and make a positive impact in your community alongside your friends, family, or colleagues. You can also tag @oceanwise on social if you spot a beach that needs some love. The location will be added to Ocean Wise’s system so you can submit data on the litter found during future Shoreline Cleanups. This data helps Ocean Wise work with businesses and governments to stop plastic pollution at its source. In Canada, Ocean Wise data helped inform a federal ban on unnecessary single-use plastics. Small but important actions like these greatly help reduce the litter that ends up in our ocean.

Ocean Wise, a conservation organization on a mission to restore and protect our oceans, is focused on empowering and educating everyone from individuals to governments on how to protect our waters. They are making conservation happen through five big initiatives: monitoring and protecting whales, fighting climate change and restoring biodiversity, innovating for a plastic-free ocean, protecting and restoring fish stocks, and finally, educating and empowering youth. The non-profit believes that in order to rebuild a resilient and vibrant ocean within the next ten years, everyone needs to take action.

Become an Ocean Wise ally and share your knowledge with others. The more people who know how badly the ocean needs our help, the better! Now is a great time to commit to being a part of something bigger and get our oceans healthy again.

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