BOZEMAN — You may think video games are dangerous for their gore and violence, but a recent arrest in Bozeman highlights another reason why you should watch what your kids are doing online.
I spoke with a woman named Genevieve, a mother as well as a teacher for the last 14 years. She told me she doesn’t let her kids play online video games, so I asked her why.
“There's always that concern, especially when you have the chats within online gaming. You don’t know who your kids are chatting with and so that can really lead to some particularly dangerous situations if somebody in the chat room is not there with good intentions," she says.
And, Genevieve is right. According to court documents, on Sunday, a 32-year-old man was arrested after allegedly being in a romantic relationship with a 12-year-old boy online.
Court documents say Christopher Kennedy began chatting with the boy while playing Grand Theft Auto online. Kennedy and the boy allegedly began having sexually explicit conversations, and Kennedy soon after placed the title of "Boyfriend" on their relationship.
Allegedly, Kennedy told co-workers of his new relationship, telling one woman, “I have my first boyfriend. He's 12 years old. It's very problematic."
According to court documents, Kennedy’s manager called Bozeman Police about the situation. When Kennedy was brought in for investigation, he allegedly told police he and the 12-year-old boy exchanged images of themselves over the Xbox, as well as shared sexual and intimate conversations. The 32-year-old also allegedly told police, "Adults my age would like to be sexual with kids."
Court documents say Kennedy often tried to defend his actions by stating the relationship was “only online” and the conversations were “on a video game."
Kennedy was seen in court Monday morning, July 29, charged with sexual abuse of children. His bail was set at $100,000.
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This case got me thinking, how many kids playing online games could actually be in this type of danger?
“Students may think they’re talking to another 12-year-old, but they don't know that that 12-year-old may be an adult that can cause them harm,” says Marilyn King.
King is the deputy superintendent of Bozeman Schools. She spoke with me about how parents can make sure their kids are staying safe online.
“The most important thing is that a parent should always keep an open line of communication with their children. Limit usage. Keep your kids in sight. Have a computer centrally located,” says King.
She also suggests parents always know what websites their children are on. One way to do this is to regularly check browser history.
According to an Academy of Animated Art article, 76% of children under the age of 18 play video games as of 2024. And with 1.17 billion gamers online worldwide, it’s hard to know who your child is really talking to.
“There are more and more social media apps that keep senders anonymous. And those are particularly dangerous for students. A really important thing that we continue to stress with our students is not to share personal information online,” says King.
King tells me BSD7 has a cyber-safety curriculum to teach students ways to keep themselves safe from online predators. But if you as a parent want to learn more ways to protect your kid, you can learn more by visiting the school district's website.
