More and more, we hear horror stories of sexting, child predators, aggravated stalking and electronic harassment, more commonly known as cyber-stalking and cyber-bullying, all of which may be occurring right under your nose.

Protecting your children from these crimes may be achieved by gaining access to the technology that seems to rule their lives. Here are 5 steps you can take to protect your kids from online dangers.

1. Text messages

Texting is the primary way for teens to communicate, so go to the source. You will probably be surprised by what you see, but stay calm and focus on the subject at hand; their safety. Text messages will allow you to see who your child is communicating with, what day and time, how often, and the nature of the conversation. If you are concerned this will create conflict with your teen, check their texts when they are sleeping. Remember, you are the parent.

2. Phone applications

Know what apps your teens are downloading and using most often. While there are thousands of apps to choose from, some are more popular than others, and many may be dangerous. Social apps like Facebook and Twitter are very popular for teens to connect, and a great way for a parent to discover who their kids are talking to. Twitter has recently become much more popular than Facebook with teens as well as other social apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and Vine.

Snapchat is a popular application that allows a user to send a picture or video that disappears in 10 seconds or less which for some can give the illusion of safe sexting. But oftentimes, unbeknownst to the sender, the receiver can take a screen shot of the snapchat and use at their own discretion.

One of the most popular social apps, Ask.fm is a forum for teens to ask each other questions anonymously. While the app seems to appeal to the curious teenager, with questions as innocent as "Whats your favorite color" and "Who is your crush?", they have led to a breeding ground for bullies asking questions like "Why don't you go kill yourself?" This was the case of 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick of Winter Haven, FL. The Miami Herald reported that after months of online bullying by several girls, Rebecca committed suicide resulting in 2 of the girls being arrested and charged with felony aggravated stalking.

3. Pictures and video

Since most phones come equipped with cameras, check your teens pictures and videos. Parents cannot always be everywhere with their kids, and don't always know what's going on. Pictures and videos will tell you who they are hanging out with, what they are doing, where they are, what type of language is being used, what they are wearing and how they are behaving.

4. Websites

If your teen has a smart phone, the odds of them hanging out on a real computer are probably slim to none. However, there are several websites parents need to be aware of that teens are using. Chatroulette.com and Omegle.com are websites that allow video chat with strangers. Users are usually anonymous and have a random chat partner selected for you. If you don't like the person you are video chatting with, you can change partners at any time. Surfing through random users is part of the fun. However, the amount of nudity found within the video chat and the accessibility for teens makes these sites a nightmare for parents.

Another popular site with teenagers is 4chan.org, a simple image-based bulletin board where anyone can post comments and share images. A host of diverse images ranging from Japanese anime, travel, music and fashion are found here as well as adult interests and pornography.

Keep in mind that websites and smart phone applications go hand-in-hand. Most websites also have apps and most apps have websites. If you, as a parent, are not comfortable looking at your teen's Ask.fm or Twitter account on their iPhone, you can always check their account on a traditional laptop or desktop computer.

5. Talk, listen and ask questions

Knowing what is going on in your teenager's life is often difficult. The more you talk to your child and listen to her, the more you will learn. For example, if your teen is explaining to you an argument between friends ask the question, "How did you hear about that?" If the answer is something like "Well, Ashley tweeted Justin about...." then you know where the conversation is coming from. Go to the source and know what is going on. Most likely your teen is only telling you part of the story.

The idea is to protect your kids. Is it snooping? Yes. Is all this information invading your teen's privacy? Yes and no. If they are putting information out there on a public forum such as Twitter and Ask, you are not invading their privacy. However, checking their text messages and pictures is invading their privacy. Yet, you are the parent and have their best interest in mind. Don't forget who's in charge. And don't lose site of the common goal: keeping your kids safe.

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Here is a list of five social media smart phone apps your teens are using and what you need to know about them.

1.

Twitter

While you may have heard of Twitter, most adults over 30 are not using the social site which is exactly why all the teens are there. Sending messages in 140 characters or less, Twitter is the new Facebook. For parents, the great thing about Twitter, unlike Facebook, is you don't necessarily have to become "friends" with or "follow" your teen to know what they are up to. Just search for their name in the Twitter search bar, click on their account and now you are in the know. You can see who their friends are, their public conversations and pictures and videos they have posted.

2.

Vine

Vine is an app that allows you to create and post a six second looped video that is usually shared on Twitter and Facebook. Seems harmless but Vine has been known for inappropriate content with sex, violence and drugs so much so that it has earned a 17+ rating in iTunes.

3.

Snapchat

The hottest trend in social apps, Snapchat has a reputation for being quick and dirty. Sending a picture or video that disappears after 10 seconds or less gives a false sense of security and sexting is the biggest problem with this app. Teens who believe their picture has disintegrated into thin air would be surprised to discover the receiver of their picture took a screen shot or a picture using another device.

4.

Instagram

Instagram is most known for picture sharing and has recently launched video sharing similar to Vine. As a parent, if you want to know what your kids are up to and who they are hanging out with, check out their Instagram pictures, videos and the comments made by their friends. Similar to Twitter, you don't have to follow your teen to see their posts.

5.

Ask.fm

Probably one of the most disturbing apps available, Ask.fm allows users to ask other users questions anonymously. Sounds harmless? Some questions are simple and innocent to teens such as, "Who is the hottest guy in school." But, because of the anonymous factor, Ask has become a breeding ground for online bullying. Relentless attacking of image, self-worth, secrets and rumors have catapulted Ask.fm into the media spotlight with related bullying cases such as with 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick of Florida who committed suicide due to the alleged bullying from several teenage girls.

The recent update of the social app has eliminated the option for the anonymous user, however teens are smart enough to bypass the system with fake account names. Like most of the other social apps, parents can search for their teen's name, locating his account and keeping tabs on their child.

Keeping up with your teenager is difficult and overwhelming. Communicating with them is the best way to know what's going on but sometimes snooping a little helps. Don't feel bad about it and remember, knowledge is power.

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