Have you ever sat down at the computer to begin what you think is going to be a mere few minutes on the web and then, before you knew it, you had been online for at least an hour? More and more, people of all ages are becoming obsessive users of the Internet and the social media tools it has to offer these days.
A recent case out of Colorado exemplifies how the compulsion to check one’s e-mail or Facebook page can be dangerous. According to reports, a 33-year-old mother now faces child abuse charges following the death of her child.
In September, she had her 13-month-old son in the bathtub. Instead of supervising him in the tub as is safe to do, the mother allegedly was in another room, on the computer and using Facebook. When she was on the computer, her child reportedly tipped over and drowned in the bath water.
The mother is charged with child abuse ending in the death of a child. Reports do not claim that the defendant has ever been accused or convicted of child abuse in the past. The deceased child, however, reportedly suffered from a seizure about a month before he died in the tub. What caused the seizure is not disclosed and has not been connected to behavior on the part of the mother.
The Colorado mother is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow. So far, she has attempted to explain the alleged neglect by telling police that her son wanted to be left alone. She apparently was fine with that and shared that she didn’t want her boy to be known as a “mama’s boy.”
We will post updates with future case developments.
Source
The Huffington Post: “Shannon Johnson Admits Playing Facebook Game As Son Drowned,” 14 Jan. 2011