GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A 32-year-old West Michigan man was sentenced in a Grand Rapids courtroom Tuesday after he convinced three teenage girls to send him explicit pictures of themselves to him over an app.
Matthew Tennison was convicted by a judge to serve between two and a half years and 20 years.
“It sickens me greatly that a man that who should have common sense has made such poor and selfish choices to take advantage of minors who are just trying to find their way in life,” one of his victims said in court Tuesday.
Tennison used the Whisper app, which advertises itself as an anonymous secret sharing app, to convince the three girls to send the pictures.
“I just can’t express enough how sorry I am for all of this, for what I’ve done, and I want to take this opportunity to apologize to all I have hurt,” Tennison said in court Tuesday.
The victim’s mom told 24 Hour News 8 she had the conversation with her daughter about the dangers of apps and they talk openly, but still she says someone found a way to take advantage of her daughter.
“That one person could ever convince themselves that this action is okay. I can’t understand. I can’t comprehend at all. I would just say how disgusting,” she said.
It once again highlights the dangers some apps pose to all children, a danger Target 8 exposed in February.
“Very rarely do people actually provide their real information and the more criminally minded they are the less likely they are to provide their real information,” said Blair Babcock, a special agent with the Department of Homeland Security.
In this case, Tennison used an app called Whisper, mostly where people go to anonymously share secrets of things they have done but the app also includes a messaging feature.
“It allows people to post anonymously and to send message without fear that they are going to be intercepted or blocked,” said Babcock
There are blockers parents can download, but often times apps like KIK and Whisper have ways around those.
“None of them are perfect. The best prevention is still knowing your kid and having access to the devices your kid is using so you can see what they are doing,” Babcock said. “Even the best block isn’t as good as good parenting.”
“Kids all think that it’s not going to be them. You think it’s not going to be yours. Just stay close and always have the dialogue,” the victim’s mom said.
Babcock suggests parents not let their children use their devices behind closed doors where no one can monitor what they are doing.
“Anything that is set up where you can’t check it, your kid’s shouldn’t be using it. If it’s blocked and password protected and your kid won’t give you the password, you need to take that phone away,” said Babcok
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Online:
Protect Young Eyes: Defending your kids from online danger
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: Child safety and prevention
