Social Safety First
October 3, 2022 2022-11-08 14:05Social Safety First
Who to trust?
On September 4, 2022, 16 y/o Deerfield Beach Isabella Depaoli went missing and was last seen in the Pompano Beach area. Almost two weeks later, she was found 220 miles away in Port Orange, Florida. Though, it is unknown whether she was kidnapped, or if it was an outlying pressure that led to her temporary disappearance. It makes one question who to trust.
Florida is a state known for teens and children going missing, so it is crucial to take safety precautions to avoid going missing or ending up like others that did not return home safely.
It is always important to be wary of strangers but also people that someone considers their friend or a significant other. A tip to keep safe around peers is to always share locations. Where and when are important things that should be mentioned to a trustworthy person when out with friends. This will be helpful in a case where someone goes missing and that person would be able to tell the authorities where they were last before their disappearance.
Another piece of advice is to try to choose friends and partners with a close age gap. Age differences in relationships have been proven to go bad due to the different mental states the people involved are in. A year or two, either younger or older, is ideal for healthy relationships. This age gap is considered “healthy” due to the people involved having a similar mindset and having a similar mindset to those
around is important, especially as a teen. Having friends closer in age can be a huge benefit when it comes to safety.
People that are considered friends can still show threatening behavior no matter how long the friendship has been. This behavior must be taken seriously even if played off as a joke. It is always a clever idea to tell somebody trustworthy about the experience with this person and to get advice from an outer party. Also, trying to speak with this person about how their threatening comments brought up unsafe feelings, but sometimes it is better to avoid them altogether.
Being aware of who is in one’s social life and circle of friends is important to protect themselves. If someone sets off “red flags” listening to a gu feeling is always the smartest decision.
