Business

SEVEN NEWS. AN ONLINE CHILD PREDATOR INVESTIGATION IS UNDERWAY. NOW SEVEN KEEPS YOU SAFE. ALYSSA MUNOZ IS LIVE WITH THE TIPS AND WARNING SIGNS. PARENTS COULD LOOK FOR. WELL, REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN HAS JUMPED FROM 1 MILLION TO 36 MILLION WITHIN THE LAST TEN YEARS. NOW, WE SPOKE WITH EXPERTS TO KNOW WHAT PARENTS SHOULD LOOK FOR. THERES BEEN SO MANY NATIONAL STUDIES THAT TALK ABOUT KIDS ARE SPENDING HOURS AND HOURS LIKE, I THINK THE AVERAGE TEENAGER SPENDS UPWARDS OF FIVE HOURS OR MORE ONLINE. VICKY PRICE WORKS FOR APPS AND COUNSELING SERVICES. SHE SAYS SCHOOL OFFICIALS ARE LOOKING FOR THE WARNING SIGNS. IF THEYRE NERVOUS ABOUT NOT GETTING ONLINE, IF THEY, YOU KNOW, FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO GET HOME, YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO I HAVE TO GET ONLINE. I HAVE TO TALK TO THIS PERSON IF THEY EVER TALK ABOUT SOMEBODY BEING ANGRY ABOUT THEM NOT GETTING ONLINE. BUT SHE SAYS THIS IS SOMETHING PARENTS AND SCHOOLS NEED TO WORK ON TOGETHER. BUT WHAT WE FIND IS WHERE THEY DEVIATE FROM WHERE WHAT THEYRE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING IS MOSTLY ON THEIR OWN TIME. LAW ENFORCEMENT SAYS THESE ARE THE APPS PARENTS SHOULD WATCH FOR, AS THEY DISCOVERED ALLEGED PREDATORS USING THEM DURING OPERATION OVERWATCH, THE UNDERCOVER STING THAT LED TO THE ARREST OF EIGHT NEW MEXICANS. THE MORE ACCESS THEY HAVE, THE MORE YOU SHOULD BE TALKING TO THEM ABOUT WHAT MAKES THEM VULNERABLE AND ABSOLUTELY WHAT THINGS YOU CANNOT SHARE ONLINE. BUT A U-N-M ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF LITERACY, MARY RICE, RECOMMENDS FOR FAMILIES TO HAVE A PLAN. HERES HOW MUCH TIME WE WOULD LIKE TO SPEND ON THE INTERNET, ON SOCIAL MEDIA. HERES WHAT KINDS OF MEDIA OUTLETS OR PLATFORMS THAT WE WANT TO USE AS A FAMILY. SO IT BECOMES SORT OF PART OF FAMILY IDENTITY. BUT LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, BOTH FEDERAL AND LOCAL, SAY THEY WILL CONTINUE