HAYWARD – It began with a probability meeting at a mall between a person in his late 20s and a teenage girl who told police she reluctantly gave him her number and rebuffed his try to hug her.

And the saga ended eight months later after the person allegedly raped the girl in his vehicle and threatened to point out a video of sex acts to her family members if she didn't meet him one last time, court documents show.

Now, 26-year-old Andrew Patrick Kelly is in Santa Rita Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail and is charged with forcible rape, illegal sex with a minor and oral copulation with a minor, all felonies. The charging documents allege that Kelly sexually abused the lady during two meetings in early 2024 after which raped her of their last encounter in February before driving her back to her highschool within the East Bay.

After their last encounter, Kelly was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault in a separate incident, in keeping with court records. In April – a month after the fees were filed – he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to probation, records show.

Kelly pleaded not guilty and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for November, in keeping with court records. The evidence against him includes not only statements made by the alleged victim to police, but in addition Kelly's own conversations with two Fremont cops who posed because the girl after she informed them of the alleged extortion attempt, authorities said.

In those conversations, police said Kelly repeated a threat he had already made to the girl – that he would release videos of himself sexually abusing her unless she agreed to fulfill again. She had allegedly agreed to a gathering on the condition that he delete the videos in front of her, but as an alternative gave her phone to investigators in order that they could collect evidence against him.

Kelly was arrested in late September at the identical Newark mall where he allegedly met the girl, police said. In a subsequent interview, he claimed that every one sexual contacts occurred after her 18th birthday and were consensual. But police say they’ve digital evidence that contradicts that.

Kelly allegedly approached the girl in early 2024 and asked for her number. She later told police that she had stated this, but felt creepy when he tried to hug her through the same conversation. After they began texting him, she agreed to several meetings with him, but cut off contact after he raped her, in keeping with authorities.

In addition to those charges, Kelly has two domestic violence charges pending this 12 months, in addition to a drunken driving and child endangerment charge. According to police, he was also arrested in 2021 on suspicion of indecent exposure but was never charged.

A bipartisan group of greater than a dozen state attorneys general is filing lawsuits against social media giant TikTok on Tuesday. A grievance accuses the corporate of deceiving users by claiming its app is secure for youngsters despite its “addictive” features and allegedly operates an unlicensed money transfer company.

States filing suit include: latest York and California and the District of Columbia.

“Our lawsuit aims to hold TikTok accountable for its harm to DC children,” he said Attorney General Brian Schwalb of the District of Columbia, in an interview with CNBC.

Schwalb's lawsuit alleges compulsive use of TikTok poses plenty of “significant” risks to the mental health of teenagers and youngsters, including depression, anxiety, sleep loss and body dysmorphia.

Schwalb called the app — which allows users to create, share and watch short videos — “digital nicotine” and said TikTok is “intentionally trying to get young people addicted to its platform.”

He said the app “is causing immense harm to an entire generation of young people.”

“TikTok’s unregulated and illegal virtual economy not only puts its profits above the health of children, but also enables the darkest and most corrupt sections of society to exploit vulnerable victims,” Schwalb said. “The company knows what is happening and has chosen to ignore it. This lawsuit seeks to put an end to his illegal, fraudulent and predatory behavior.”

TikTok didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment on the lawsuits, but said in an announcement

“We are proud of and remain deeply committed to the work we have done to protect young people. We will continue to update and improve our product,” TikTok said. “We provide robust protections, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily introduced safety features such as default screen time limits, family pairing, and default privacy for minors under 16.”

“We have sought to work with the state attorneys general for over two years and it is incredibly disappointing that they have taken this step instead of working with us on constructive solutions to industry-wide challenges.”

More than half of young people between the ages of 13 and 17 within the US use the app. TikTok has greater than a billion lively users worldwide.

Schwalb's lawsuit, which alleges violations of D.C. consumer protection laws, accuses TikTok of “using algorithms and manipulative design features” to captivate young users by triggering bursts of dopamine of their impressionable brains.

“TikTok knows that its design features make the app addictive and keep users engaged for longer,” the lawsuit in DC Superior Court says.

“While this may be good for business, it has dangerous consequences for children.”

The grievance also states that in 2019, the corporate introduced “two new dangerous features”: a live streaming feature called TikTok LIVE and a virtual currency system called TikTok “Coins.”

“TikTok is characterized by its use of Coins – an unlicensed virtual currency,” the lawsuit says. “Users purchase coins to send virtual “gifts” during LIVE sessions, which streamers can money out for real money. TikTok is incentivizing users to go LIVE by promising that these money rewards will “get more popular.” [their] Content will likely be.'”

The lawsuit states that TikTok generates “significant revenue” from its coins and charges commissions of as much as 50% for every transaction.

The virtual currency app's deposit and withdrawal process is “a virtual money transfer system” that violates D.C. law by failing to acquire a required money transmitter license, the lawsuit says.

And “Although LIVE, including live streaming and gifting, currently has a minimum age requirement of 18 and older, TikTok knows that its lax age verification measures encourage U.S. minors to lie about their age to gain access,” it says in Schwalb's statement of claim.

The grievance also alleges that LIVE's design, including coins and gifts, “enables other serious harm to minors, including sexual exploitation.”

“TikTok is fully aware that these features together create an environment in which children are often sexually exploited by users, but has chosen to turn a blind eye in favor of increasing its profitability,” Schwalbs said in a press release Office.

TikTok's US headquarters are in Los Angeles, but the corporate maintains a big lobbying presence and office in Washington, DC

The company recently announced a partnership with the NHL's Washington Capitals hockey team to make use of TikTok's logo on its jerseys for away games for the upcoming season, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit demands that TikTok be permanently barred from violating consumer protection laws and ordered to pay compensation to users and face civil penalties.

The lawsuits brought by Schwalb and the opposite attorneys general, who’re filing separate lawsuits in courts throughout the United States, comes at a legally difficult time for the corporate, which is owned by China-based ByteDance.

In September, Lawyers for TikTok argued in a federal appeals court that a brand new law that might ban the app by Jan. 19 unless ByteDance finds a non-Chinese buyer for the corporate was unconstitutional since it violated TikTok users' First Amendment rights.

The bill was approved by the House and Senate in April after members of Congress and others argued that the app posed a national security risk to the United States.

In particular, they claimed that the kind of data being collected might be used as a weapon by America's adversaries in Beijing if the 2 countries ever went to war.

The lawsuits are the newest in a series of civil suits by state attorneys general targeting social media corporations for alleged harm to children and other users of their popular apps.

Given the growing concern concerning the impact of social media on the mental health of teenagers, on June 17, 2024, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy calls for warnings added to social media platforms, much like Health Ministry warnings on cigarettes and alcohol.

Murphy’s warning cites research showing that teens who use social media for greater than three hours a day double risk of mental health problems.

This comes a yr after Murphy issued a crucial public warning concerning the links between social media and the mental health of young people.

As a Specialist in eating disorders and anxietyI usually work with clients who’ve symptoms of eating disorders, self-esteem issues and anxiety in reference to social media.

Me too have first-hand experience with this topic: I recovered from an eating disorder 16 years ago and grew up as a teen in a time when people were starting to make use of social media on a big scale. In my view, the impact of social media on mental health, particularly on weight loss plan and exercise habits, can’t be mitigated simply with a warning label. However, it’s a crucial start line to boost awareness of the hazards of social media.

Relationships, associations and causal effects

Experts have long suspected that social media plays a task within the growing Mental health crisis amongst young peopleHowever, the Surgeon General’s warning in 2023 was considered one of the primary Government warnings supported by solid research.

Critics of the requirement for warning labels argue that they complicated matter and that restricting access to social media in any way would do more harm than good. Some advocates say it is a step in the precise direction and much less restrictive than trying to start out with more comprehensive privacy regulations.

And to date, measures are being demanded Regulation of social media has failed.

Researchers can only examine associations, which makes it difficult to determine causal relationships. However, there are many studies that show a link between media consumption and poor self-esteem. Body image and mental health.

In addition, there may be scientific data that demonstrates the effectiveness of warnings on prevent the consumption of gear equivalent to tobacco And alcohol.

However, the warning strategy was also applied to content about eating disorders and digitally altered images on the Internet. Mixed resultsThese studies showed that the warnings don’t reduce the negative influence of the media on body image. Some of the studies even found that the warnings Increase the comparison of body and appearancethat are considered to be the important explanation why social media can damage self-esteem.

Possible damage

Studies show that images of beauty as portrayed in movies, social media, television and magazines can result in mental illnessProblems with eating disorders and Dissatisfaction with one’s own body image.

Dissatisfaction with one’s own body is widespread amongst children and adolescents and was linked to reduced quality of life, worsened mood and unhealthy eating habits.

The mental health of adolescents and teenagers is declining within the last decadeand that The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the deterioration of young people’s mental health and brought it into the highlight. In light of the growing mental health crisis, researchers A better have a look at the role of social media with these increasing mental health problems.

The benefits and downsides of social media

About 95% of kids and adolescents within the United States between the ages of 10 and 17 are uses social media almost continually. A study from 2023 found that teenagers spend about five hours a day on social media.

Studies have shown that Social media might be helpful to search out community supportHowever, studies have also shown that the usage of social media results in social comparisons, unrealistic expectations and negative effects on mental health.

In addition, those that Pre-existing illness spend more time on social media. People on this category usually tend to objectify oneself And internalize the perfect of the slim bodyWomen and People with existing concerns about their body image are more likely than others to feel worse about their bodies and themselves after spending time on social media.

A breeding ground for eating disorders?

A recent study concluded that the usage of social media, like mass media, is a risk factor for the event of an eating disorderBody image dissatisfaction and eating disorders. In this review, social media use was shown to contribute to negative self-esteem, social comparisons, reduced emotional regulation, and idealized self-presentation, which negatively impact body image.

Another study, the so-called Dove project for more self-esteempublished in April 2023, found that 9 out of 10 children and young people aged 10 to 17 are exposed to toxic beauty content on social media, and one in two say it has an impact on their mental health.

Researchers have also found that increasing time at home through the pandemic led to greater use of social media by young people and subsequently greater exposure to toxic social media content about body image and weight-reduction plan.

Although social media alone doesn’t cause eating disorders, social ideas about beautythat are reinforced by social media, can contribute to the event of eating disorders.

“Thinspo” and “Fitspo”

Toxic beauty ideals online include the normalization of cosmetic and surgical procedures, in addition to content that advocates and romanticizes eating disorders. For example, social media sites have promoted trends equivalent to “thinspo,” which focuses on the thinness ideal, and “fitspo,” which perpetuates the assumption in an ideal body that might be achieved with diets, supplements, and excessive exercise.

Studies have shown that Social media content encouraging “clean eating”” or following a weight loss plan based on pseudoscientific claims can result in compulsive behavior around food. These unsubstantiated “wellness” posts can result in weight fluctuations and yo-yo effectchronic stress, dissatisfaction with one’s own body and better likelihood of muscular and slim ideal internalization.

Some social media posts contain Pro-eating disorder contentthat directly or not directly promote eating disorders. Other posts promote the deliberate manipulation of 1's body and use hurtful quotes equivalent to “Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.” These posts provide a false sense of connection and permit users to bond over a typical goal of dropping pounds, changing their appearance, and maintaining eating disorders.

While young people can often recognize and understand toxic beauty advice affects their self-esteem, they could proceed to interact with that content. This is partly because friends, influencers and Social media algorithms Encourage people to follow certain accounts.

Telephone-free zones

Small steps at home to limit social media consumption can even make a difference. Parents and caregivers can Create phone-free times for the family. Examples include putting phones away while the family watches a movie together or during meals.

Adults can even help by modeling healthy behavior on social media and inspiring children and teenagers to focus to construct connections and take part in helpful activities.

Another helpful approach is mindful social media consumption. This involves recognizing how you are feeling when scrolling through social media. If spending time on social media is making you are feeling worse or appears to be causing mood swings in your child, it might be time to alter the way in which you or your child interact with social media.

DUBLIN — Two Bay Area men who shot at one another in Oakland in 2020, missing and as a substitute killing a 19-year-old woman, have been sentenced to a long time in prison, in line with court records.

Fernando Sevilla, 43, was sentenced to 21 years and eight months in state prison, while Willie Samuels, 29, was sentenced to twenty-eight years and 4 months in prison. Both men have already been transferred to state prison. The sentences were imposed late last yr but haven’t yet been announced.

Sevilla and Samuels stood in court last yr and blamed one another for the November 2020 shooting that killed Brentwood resident Madalyn Sandoval. The men were each convicted of intentional homicide with a firearm, but managed to avoid a murder conviction.

Several of Sandoval's members of the family spoke on the sentencing. Her brother said he had no sympathy for Sevilla, which he said deserved a life sentence for its “terrible mistake.” But many of the criticism was geared toward Samuels, whom members of the family described as a manipulator who pressured Sandoval and acted.

“You abused my sister. They manipulated her and put her in the situation she was in,” Sandoval’s brother, Mitchell Sandoval Samuels, said on the hearing. He later added: “You are a monster and you belong in this prison cell for the rest of your life. “Society has no place for men such as you.”

Another sister, Vanessa Sandoval, called him a “waste of air.”

“Madalyn Sandoval’s name should live forever. She touched too much of our lives in the short 19 years she was on this earth,” said Vanessa Sandoval. “She was the most loving, caring and free-spirited soul I have ever known.”

Samuels and Sevilla found themselves in a life-or-death conflict that quickly escalated and was captured on surveillance cameras near a home. It began when Sandoval and Sevilla pulled up in the same car and parked near San Antonio Park in East Oakland, but after a few minutes Sandoval exited Sevilla's truck and fled to Samuels' vehicle, which had stopped in a nearby alley.

Sevilla drove his truck next to Samuels' car and the two exchanged words, then there were shots. According to Alameda County Judge Paul Delucchi, Samuels drove Sandoval to a hospital after the shooting and simply dropped her off at the front.

Samuels and Sevilla both spoke at the sentencing. Sevilla apologized and said, “That was not my intention and never my plan.” However, prosecutors noted in a sentencing memo that he admitted to smashing the weapon he was using with a sledgehammer and was shot at one Jail visit recorded in which he expressed his belief that he could not be charged without the murder weapon.

“I used to be scared. I'm very sorry. She's in my prayers. I apologize,” Sevilla said.

When it was his turn to talk, Samuels desired to remind those in attendance that he, too, was grieving Sandoval's loss.

“Maddie was family to me. I'll say it again: Maddie was family to me… I never intended Maddie not to be here,” he said, later adding that he wasn't the type to turn his back on family. “I never intended to threaten Sevilla's life in any way. I didn’t know this was going to happen.”

A couple of minutes later, Judge Delucchi spoke, calling Samuels' behavior – leaving Sandoval within the hospital – “one of the most callous, callous, just plain worst things I have ever seen in my life.” Prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo that Samuels had a passerby pulled over, driving a truck, put a dying Sandoval to bed after which drove off in his own Honda, leaving the Good Samaritan to take her the remaining of the strategy to the hospital.

“I plan to throw a dying Madalyn Sandoval in the back of a pickup truck and then run away, only to be told I'm not turning my back on the family is a callous thing to do,” Delucchi said.