Parents always caution their children about talking to strangers, not accepting gifts from them, not to listen to them if they give negative vibes. Many of you will remember the term, “stranger danger”, referring to a possible threat stranger could pose to you but nowadays, parents need to do more than just that; they need to keep their kids safe not only from strangers but also from people they know. Yeps, that’s right! According to stats, 43% children are abducted by people from within the family, while 25% are abducted by strangers. So what could be done so that parents have a fool-proof way to know about their kids’ whereabouts at all time?

Some More Shocking Facts

In 80% of the kidnappings in US, the first interaction between the victim and the kidnapper takes place within a quarter mile of the child’s home! Not only this, they are not even safe online, 1 in 5 children from 10 to 17 years receive unwanted sexual entreats online.

One well-known story is about Elizabeth Smart who was abducted in Salt Lake City. Smart was abducted for nine months by a Brian David Mitchell, a known religious extremist. She was abducted when she was just 14-years, after being held in captivity for nine months, she finally escaped after 3 policemen found three strange looking women walking down the street, wearing dirty robes and wigs. The policemen stopped them, one of the officers asked Smart if she was the missing girl. He told her if she spoke up, they would be able to help her and she did. She was lucky to be saved. But not everyone is!

Parents need to act very smart today where predators are lurking online and in real life. Like many parents suggest, it is very important to take additional measures to safeguard children, many of them use child locator apps to keep track of their teen’s whereabouts at all times.  Here are some steps parents need to ensure to keep their children safe:

Open up with your kids

Teach kids to interrupt you immediately if they think they are unsafe from anyone around them when they are with you. Kids are most likely to get hurt or feel threatened by someone they know more than by a stranger. If someone tries to touch them inappropriately or make them feel uncomfortable, they should come and tell you immediately.  Pay attention to their behavior and listen to what they are trying to tell you.

Keep personal information personal

Personal information includes name, phone number, address, family members’ names, the name of your children’s school, friends’ names, social security numbers, etc. At times, teens tend to give out personal information to strangers unknowingly, i.e., to someone they meet at the doctor’s office or to anyone they make conversation with. This can be very dangerous, the safety rule is: never give out personal information to strangers and people you don’t feel comfortable with Give your kids the awareness to deal with situations where someone asks for their personal information and how they should refuse politely.

Always keep an eye on them

Just talking to them and guiding is not enough, you need to step into the game to protect your teen from dangers lurking around them. Family locator apps can be a great idea to constantly monitor your teen’s location. Like many parents today, be a part of smart parenting club and switch to the digital monitoring apps like FamilyTime to keep your teen safe at all times and know about their whereabouts. FamilyTime is a diverse app and you can download it from Google Play and iTunes app store for free from here:

Make sure they meet the right people

You need to know and carry out some background checks on everyone who comes in close contact with your child, including their friends, etc. Ask your local police department for online listings of child predators in your area. And be on the lookout for people around you and how your teen behaves around them.

Take Care f any Possible Emergency Situation

There best way to safeguard your child is to empower them with a way in which they can immediately get into contact with you if there is any emergency. FamilyTime’s SOS Alerts can be a great help here. Children can simply tap a button on their FamilyTime – Child app and parents will instantly get alerts with their location details. This can be a lifesaver in many life-threatening situations or kidnappings.

Nothing is more precious than your children!

Children mean the world to parents; they do all they can in their power to keep them safe. Discuss with them that that not everyone they meet is evil or has bad intentions, but if they feel threatened somehow, they should contact their parents immediately or look for a cop around for help. Tell them to trust their gut but to be on the safe side, always be there for them because to parents, nothing should come in between their children and their safety!