Break The Label

05/26/2026

EVEN DOGS GET CALLED “MISSING.”

When a dog disappears, we don’t call it a “runaway dog.”

We call it what it is:

MISSING.

We create flyers.
We share posts.
We ask the community to help.
We offer rewards.
We assume the dog may be scared, vulnerable, or in danger.

But when a juvenile goes missing, too often they’re labeled a “runaway.”

A word that tells the public:
“They chose this.”
“They’ll come back.”
“This isn’t as urgent.”

Why?

A missing dog receives a missing poster.

A missing child receives a label.

At Break the Label, we believe every missing juvenile deserves the same urgency, concern, and community response that we naturally give to a missing pet.

Because if we can understand that a missing dog may be vulnerable…

We should certainly understand that a missing child is.

MISSING. NOT RUNAWAY.

05/26/2026

Another reminder that children are not only vulnerable to strangers.

They can be vulnerable to people in positions of trust, access, and authority.

According to The Island Packet, a former Beaufort County Montessori teacher has been charged with criminal solicitation of a minor and procuring/promoting obscenity. The Sheriff’s Office says there is one known victim at this point, but there is always a possibility of more.

This is why urgency matters.
This is why language matters.
This is why we cannot dismiss vulnerable youth with labels.

A child being targeted, groomed, manipulated, or coerced may not always understand what is happening to them. Adults must.

At Break the Label, we will keep fighting for a community that sees children as children — worthy of protection, urgency, and belief.

If you know something, say something.

The 47-year-old worked at multiple Montessori schools in the Hilton Head Island area in the years preceding her arrest.

05/25/2026

Today, I was reminded why Break the Label matters.

I received a message from a survivor of human trafficking who saw our story and reached out. Her experience was strikingly similar to what happened to our daughter.

She shared something that hit me hard: her trafficker used the “runaway” label too.

For years, we’ve been told that words don’t matter.

But they do.

Words shape how communities respond.
Words shape urgency.
Words shape whether people see a child as vulnerable or responsible.

Scripture reminds us:

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.”
— Proverbs 31:8

At Break the Label, that’s exactly what we’re trying to do.

Not because it’s easy.
Not because it’s popular.
But because every missing child deserves to be seen, protected, and searched for with urgency.

Thank you to every survivor, parent, advocate, law enforcement officer, and supporter who continues to stand with us.

Because no child should be reduced to a label.

💚 MISSING. NOT RUNAWAY.

05/21/2026

This ⬇️⬇️⬇️

05/21/2026

One of the biggest dangers facing vulnerable youth today isn’t just predators.

It’s that the world still views many of these children through an outdated lens.

The internet of 2026 is not the internet of 1996.
Today’s youth are growing up in a world of:
• Algorithms
• DMs
• Social media
• Online grooming
• Location sharing
• Instant access to strangers

Predators no longer have to “find” vulnerable children the way they once did.
Technology can bring vulnerable children directly to them.

Yet society still uses a label from a completely different era:
“Runaway.”

Many of these children are not simply “running away.”
They are being manipulated, groomed, coerced, isolated, and exploited.

Words shape response.
And outdated language creates outdated understanding.

No child should be reduced to a label.

https://www.delta-fund.org/the-bookstore-is-reading-you/

Section 230 was written for a 1996 bookstore. Today's platforms watch your daughter, rearrange the shelves, and call it the same thing.

05/20/2026

We need YOUR help recognizing South Carolina law enforcement agencies that are helping change the language around missing youth in their SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS.

Nominate a department here:
https://www.breakthelabel.com/sc-departments

If you’ve seen a sheriff’s office or police department stop using the word “runaway” in Facebook posts, alerts, or public social media updates — and instead use terms like “missing juvenile,” “missing child,” or “endangered juvenile” — we want to know about it.

These departments deserve recognition for helping shift the conversation toward urgency, safety, and compassion instead of blame and assumptions.

Our goal is simple:
Make South Carolina the first state in the country where law enforcement agencies lead the way in moving away from the word “runaway” in social media messaging about missing youth.

Because words shape response.
And no child should be reduced to a label.

05/20/2026

PART 2: The 1900s — How “Runaway” Became a Label for Children

In the 1900s, the word “runaway” shifted again.

What once described escaped servants, runaway horses, and people fleeing control… slowly became attached to children and teenagers.

By the mid-to-late 1900s, society began treating vulnerable youth as troubled kids who simply “ran away” instead of recognizing the deeper dangers many were facing.

Then in 1974, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act officially defined a “runaway” as a child who leaves home without permission.

At the time, the goal was to keep kids out of adult jails.

But the label stayed.

And over the decades, that single word became deeply embedded into police systems, media coverage, public perception, and American culture throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Even as the world changed…
the language didn’t.

Because today’s dangers are not the dangers of 1974.

Part 3 next week:
The 2000s — internet, smartphones, social media, online grooming, and how technology changed everything.

05/17/2026

📍 APPS CAN SHARE YOUR CHILD’S LOCATION — EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T REALIZE IT.

Many parents think location sharing only happens through “tracking apps.”

But today, location sharing exists in:
• social media apps
• messaging apps
• gaming apps
• fitness apps
• ride share apps
• family safety apps
• phones themselves

Some apps share:
📍 live location
📍 frequent locations
📍 maps of routines
📍 nearby users
📍 photos with location tags
📍 school, home, and activity locations

And many children and teens do not fully understand how much information they are sharing publicly or with strangers.

This does NOT mean every app is dangerous.
It DOES mean parents need to:
✔ check privacy settings
✔ turn off unnecessary location permissions
✔ review Snap Map and similar features
✔ talk openly about online safety
✔ teach children not to share their location with people they do not personally know

Predators no longer need to physically search for children.
Sometimes children unknowingly provide the map themselves.

Awareness is protection.

05/17/2026

🚨 INTERNET SAFETY: WHAT PARENTS NEED TO DO 🚨

The internet is not the same place it was 10 years ago.

Predators no longer need to physically approach children.
Many now use apps, games, social media, and private messaging to build trust and gain access to kids.

Here are some important things parents should be doing right now:

• Know every app your child uses
• Check privacy settings regularly
• Keep devices out of bedrooms overnight
• Monitor friend lists and message requests
• Teach children never to move conversations to “secret” apps
• Explain grooming in age-appropriate ways
• Watch for sudden secrecy, isolation, or emotional attachment to online friends
• Set screen time and communication boundaries
• Remind children they can tell you anything without fear
• Trust your instincts if something feels off

One of the most dangerous myths parents believe is:
“My child would never do that.”

Online grooming often starts with attention, compliments, emotional support, or someone pretending to “understand” them better than adults do.

This is not about being a “perfect parent.”
It’s about staying informed in a world that has changed faster than many adults realize.

Protecting children today also means protecting them online.

05/12/2026

Part 1
The word “runaway” has a long history.
And it didn’t start with children.

In Part 1, we explore how the label evolved from the 1500s through the 1800s — from fugitives and deserters to runaway trains and slavery-era advertisements.

Because words carry history.
And labels shape perception.

PART 2 coming next week:
How “runaway” became attached to children in the 1900s — and why it still impacts missing youth today.

MISSING. NOT RUNAWAY.

05/11/2026

We’re launching a 3-part mini series breaking down the history of the word “runaway” — where it came from, how it evolved, and why that label still impacts missing children today.

Because words shape perception.
Perception shapes urgency.
And urgency can change outcomes.

Part 1 drops this week.

“MISSING. NOT RUNAWAY.”