Instagram Post by Teen a Terrorist Threat

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An Instagram post quoting song lyrics landed a teen in juvenile detention for making a terrorist threat.

Be careful what you post online

Photo by: José Moutinho
Photo by: José Moutinho

The 15 year old sophomore at San Joaquin Memorial High in Fresno, California posted lyrics on Instagram from the song “I’m Back” by rapper Eminem. The song has plenty of profanity mixed within the disturbing lyrics, but the segment that the teen chose to quote referenced the shooting at Columbine High School back in 1999. School officials found out about the Instagram post and considered it a terrorist threat to their school.

Posting lyrics when you can’t find the words

Lyrics on a Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram post are popular among the teen crowd who often like to voice their feelings through the words of popular songs. Often these posts are recognized by peers as nothing more than quoting a favorite song while family members and other caring adults see them as cries for help. When the lyrics talk about violent acts to groups of people such as schoolmates, police can get involved to rule out a terrorist threat.

Possession of firearms didn’t help

The teen could have passed the Instagram post off as merely quoting a cool song, however the teen’s comments on the Instagram post made it appear like something more. Added to that, the fact that several weapons were found at the 15 year old’s home cemented police suspicion of a terrorist threat. Teen’s need to be aware of anything that they post online, and refrain from posting words, pictures, or videos that could get them in trouble. For information on charges based on posts to teen’s social media accounts such as Instagram, contact a juvenile defense attorney.