With the era of social media in full throttle, it's hard for parents to keep tabs on their kids and even harder for kids to relate to their parents. While this can allow for kids to teach their parents a thing or two, it can also lead to dangerous situations for younger people using these sites.

On Facebook alone, there are multiple pages dedicated to connecting teens to older adults. While the teen may think of this as harmless, it could leak into real-life, causing problems. These pages may seem friendly enough, but deep down they have a sinister story to tell. Some of these pages can even be location-specific, making the danger even closer to home.

The Lubbock Police Department suggests firewalls and an ongoing conversation about internet safety to ensure that your kids stay safe online.

Children can accidentally be exposed to inappropriate material online. This is where firewalls and parental controls come in handy. Parents can install software to restrict certain sites deemed inappropriate for children. It can also prevent pop-ups that might have age sensitive material.

Just as you teach your children to not talk or go anywhere with strangers, teach them it is not okay to talk to strangers online. Often times children do not understand manipulative behavior. Someone online may tell them what they want to hear to gain their trust, and the child may not realize that person has harmful intentions.

Talk to your children about the dangers of the internet. Let them know it is dangerous to share personal information like phone numbers or home addresses online. Putting constant updates on social media of your every move lets people know exactly where you are and what you are doing. This can make you an easy target for people wanting to harm your child or your family.

While parents can't always track their children's every cyber move, you can certainly educate yourself on the sites that they are using. Keeping on top of all of the social possibilities may leave your head whirling, but to know is always better than to find out later.

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