STROUDSBURG -- Detectives in Monroe County are calling on all parents to be more alert to what their children are doing online after another online sexual predator was arrested in the Poconos.
The number of social media sites out there that can be used to interact with others online seems to grow every day, but with each social website or app comes a significant amount of danger for kids.
We sat down with a detective in Monroe County to find out what parents need to know.
Monroe County Detective Brian Webbe tracks down adults who are using online social media tools for all of the wrong reasons, tracking down kids and exchanging sexually explicit photos.
"A lot of these predators are essentially grooming these children with the intent with eventually meeting up with them for sex or possibly something worse," said Det. Brian Webbe, Monroe County district attorney's office.
"This gentleman had sent pictures of male genitalia to underage females and was soliciting them to send him pictures."
Jamie Simon of East Stroudsburg has a 7-year-old daughter and says she created all of her daughter's online passwords.
"Sexual predators, I really do worry about that because there's actually a website online to check to see who's under Megan's Law around here and there's a lot."
One of the popular apps it's called Kik. Detectives say they've found predators using it and when you go to download it, the first review says this app is not safe for kids, and there are other apps that can be just as dangerous.
"Snapchat is absolutely horrendous for children to have on their phone because it makes it much more difficult for parents to monitor that," Det. Webbe added.
A mother of three from Effort says she limits what her kids can do online and knows all of their passwords.
"Especially my oldest, he's 11. He doesn't have a Facebook account. I don't allow him. I think he's still a little too young and I monitor his Instagram," Tanya Iandoli said.
Almost 50 people have been arrested in Monroe County for sexually exploiting children online in Monroe County through the D.A.'s office.
Parents say those are frightening numbers in a social media society.
"It's very scary, it's very scary."
Detectives say it's important to monitor what your child does, not only on the home computer but also on their cell phone because many times these conversations happen after parents think their child may be in bed, safe from online predators.
