Court: No social media ban for Indiana sex offenders

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - A federal appeals court ruled this week that Indiana's registered sex officers can have social media accounts.   

This after a judge ruled in June banning offenders from using these sites.   

Indiana can no longer ban registered sex offenders from social networking sites that children can access.

Claude Anderson is a computer science professor at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and he also happens to have nine children.   

Keeping them safe online is a big priority.

“Not very comfortable, but yet I think that there’s been enough dangers for our children along he way, this only increases it a little bit,” said Claude Anderson, computer science and software engineering professor.   

The federal appeals court says the previous law is too broad, and it violates constitutional rights for free speech.     

The law was so broad it prevented sex offenders from posting resumes to social media sites.   

Claude thinks there are ways to help.

“I think parents need to first educate themselves to recognize there are people out here who have bad intentions for our children. I think the next important thing is communication. If you don’t have good communication with your children about what they’re doing, and can’t convince them of dangers, the other things you do won’t be effective at all,” said Claude.

There is computer software that flag certain dangers.   

But Claude said nothing takes the place of vigilance.

“A simple thing is just putting children’s TV’s and computers in a public place so that other people in the family can see what is going on,” said Claude.   

Claude uses these steps for his own children, and he says it does make him feel a little more safe.

“Nothing is foolproof. And again, nothing takes the place of communication with our children,” said Claude.   

Federal judges have barred similar laws in Nebraska and Louisiana.