I can't even begin to wrap my head around this...

[mousehockey37]

Showing off for the internet, most likely. I'm sure the girls are not pure evil or anything like that, but hopefully after this incident the phones are taken away for a good long while, among other punishments.

They may not be evil but they aren't all there either...

 

[Magpie]

I'd be willing to bet that after all is said and done, the girls will end up with some community service or education courses or something to that effect. I highly doubt they'll be sent away or kicked out of school, but yes, they will likely face public scorn for a long time; maybe forever. (Especially by their schoolmates.) That's the nature of some of these stupid or cruel social media postings today and why it's so important for kids to understand their postings are forever. Not sure what authorities are supposed to do, just let it slide? (They are mandated reporters.) What type of precedent does that set? This was a serious incident involving a human infant. How would people feel if it was their baby?

That would be ideal, and I do hope it is the ultimate outcome, but there have been other kids who've been railroaded over relatively minor crimes. It's frightening to see any child in the hands of the justice system. All it takes is one person who wants to make a public example of these girls.

The justice system cannot be counted on to deal out fair and proportionate consequences in every case.

And I'm not even talking about the whole "Kids for Cash" scandal. http://nypost.com/2014/02/23/film-details-teens-struggles-in-state-detention-in-payoff-scandal/

Kids can also land in jail just for skipping school or breaking curfew: http://www.takepart.com/feature/2014/05/09/skip-school-go-to-jail

I really do think the authorities should have left this in the hands of the girls' parents. Perhaps following up with a family services investigation to ensure that everyone's being taken care of properly and that all the children are safe. I would feel exactly the same way if this were my baby.

Just because you are a "mandated reporter" does not mean you're obliged to press charges in every case. It simply means you have to investigate the situation.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Just because you are a "mandated reporter" does not mean you're obliged to press charges in every case. It simply means you have to investigate the situation.

Exactly. Which is what happened, apparently. Then the DA decided to go forward with charges.

The way I meant it was that the discoverers had no choice but to report when it surfaced - I may have been unclear.

 

[mousehockey37]

Just because you are a "mandated reporter" does not mean you're obliged to press charges in every case. It simply means you have to investigate the situation.

If you're a mandated reporter, you don't investigate anything. If a kid comes up to you and says they're being abused or has signs of it, you tell who you need to tell or call who you have to call and THEY investigate it, not you. You just report it, hence, mandated reporter.

 

[Magpie]

Exactly. Which is what happened, apparently. Then the DA decided to go forward with charges.

The way I meant it was that the discoverers had no choice but to report when it surfaced - I may have been unclear.

Ah, I understand now!

Yes, they had to look into it. And, unless there's a lot more to the story than is being reported, it's definitely frightening for the family that the DA has decided to go ahead with charges.

 

[Magpie]

If you're a mandated reporter, you don't investigate anything. If a kid comes up to you and says they're being abused or has signs of it, you tell who you need to tell or call who you have to call and THEY investigate it, not you. You just report it, hence, mandated reporter.

The previous poster said, "Not sure what authorities are supposed to do, just let it slide? (They are mandated reporters.)" Which I took as meaning the authorities are mandated reporters. So yes, they are also the ones who have to investigate (or request an investigation, from the appropriate agency). The DA who chose to proceed with charges is also part of the "authorities".

I've been a mandated reporter, too. I know it's not my job to investigate.

 

[CarolAnn856]

Not sure if this belongs on this thread but the problem is that summer vacation is too long so there is no nice way to say some get stupid with there time off

No. The problem, in this case, is most definitely not summer vacation. People trolling discussion boards because they are bored? Kids making too much noise late at night? Go ahead and blame summer vacation. This situation? Not even close.

 

[mnrose]

Honestly, if it weren't for snapchat, this wouldn't be news at all. I'm sure it's not the first or the last time kids have done something like this with a baby. The good news is that the baby is fine (and, realistically, wasn't ever in real danger, since you can't really argue they planned to leave her in there to either suffocate or destroy the contents of the fridge) and now mum knows not to leave the baby with these particular teens in the future.

MY teenage babysitter tied me to the dining room table leg with a skipping rope and only untied me because I was screaming bloody murder and she was afraid she'd get caught by her mom. If she'd had a cellphone, she SO would have snapped a pic of me to share with her friends.

It's just plain, ordinary barely-newsworthy stupidity. I think disciplining the girls should be left to their parents.

Yup. My husband and his brother (who were then 12 and 11) put their little brother (then a baby) down the laundry chute in the house. They tied a sheet to him and lowered him down (second floor to the basement....egads). They thought it was hilarious as only a couple of mischievous pre-teen boys could think. Their mom only learned of this decades later. Had their been snapchat, she might have learned on the spot.

 

[wenrob]

I'd be willing to bet that after all is said and done, the girls will end up with some community service or education courses or something to that effect. I highly doubt they'll be sent away or kicked out of school, but yes, they will likely face public scorn for a long time; maybe forever. (Especially by their schoolmates.) That's the nature of some of these stupid or cruel social media postings today and why it's so important for kids to understand their postings are forever. Not sure what authorities are supposed to do, just let it slide? (They are mandated reporters.) What type of precedent does that set? This was a serious incident involving a human infant. How would people feel if it was their baby?

To be honest, if it were my baby I'd be furious. Absolutely furious. It's not my baby and it still pisses me right off that these girls would be so mean, reckless and stupid for "likes." But. I don't think their intention was to cause harm to the baby. Just like my DH had no ill intentions towards his little brother. To me, that is the difference. Take away their access to social media? Ground them within and inch of their lives? Make life really, really sucky for them for the next few months so they never forget just how stupid it was to do that? You bet. Bring charges that could possibly follow them for life? IMO not so much.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

Those teens are real copycats. They must have recently seen the classic 1977 John Waters masterpiece "Desperate Living."

Mom hires in-home college aged babysitter for her toddler and goes out for the evening.
Babysitter invites friends over to the Mom's house for wild booze and drug party.
Mom returns home to find house trashed and a dozen spaced-out young adults.
Babysitter says she thinks she left kid in the kitchen.

Mom searches kitchen and then opens refrigerator.

Mom doesn't laugh it off, but rather whacks babysitter over the head with a cast iron skillet.

Then Mom smothers babysitter in bowl of dog food.

And this was one of the least outrageous over-the-top scenes in the film. Highly recommended.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

To be honest, if it were my baby I'd be furious. Absolutely furious. It's not my baby and it still pisses me right off that these girls would be so mean, reckless and stupid for "likes." But. I don't think their intention was to cause harm to the baby. Just like my DH had no ill intentions towards his little brother. To me, that is the difference. Take away their access to social media? Ground them within and inch of their lives? Make life really, really sucky for them for the next few months so they never forget just how stupid it was to do that? You bet. Bring charges that could possibly follow them for life? IMO not so much.

I get it, I really do. Many of us did some pretty stupid things growing up.

But today's law doesn't say anything about intent. It just says, "Anyone who does this" blah, blah, blah...

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleI/Chapter265/Section13L

And they did it.

I really don't know what their intent was. I know there are some pretty messed up people out there, even kids, who do some pretty awful things every day. I suppose someone has to sort it out - which cases are "fooling around messed up" and which cases are "messed up messed up". Maybe more information will come out about this case, we don't know.

I guess it will be up to those involved with the case to determine their intent, and their punishment, if any.

It's probably good that people are talking about this and can talk to their kids about it.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

There was also a news story recently in which a little girl died because she was dared to drink boiling water out of a straw. She suffered damage to her esophagus and needed a tracheotomy. Months later, she had trouble breathing and passed away. Apparently it's another version of the "hot water challenge" that the kids saw on YouTube.

DS told me some kids in his high school actually tried the "cinnamon challenge" on campus. They brought a huge bottle of cinnamon to school and dared each other to eat a whole spoonful at once. He heard about it through the grapevine, and in the video bulletin the next morning when the dean came on and talked about how dangerous it is.

There are too many of these horrible things going around on YouTube. Now all these kids want to recreate these stupid tricks and post them on social media for attention. It's a disturbing trend.