A CONCERNED security consultant and parent has lamented the fact that more and more teenagers are putting themselves in harm's way by using cellular phones. With thousands of cell phone-toting children preparing to return to school this fall, one of their biggest challenges will be staying clear of dodgy text messages. And given many of the phones now have camera capabilities, students can even send explicit photos to each other to spice up racy text messages.

The parent, who declined to be named, told the Mid-Ocean News that he came across a lewd text message left for his 13-year-old son.

"I was surprised when the girl asked my son if he had any condoms and if he was going to be home alone while his mother and I were out working! I had bought the phone for my son so he can call me to pick him up after work and we would travel home together," he said.

The concerned dad said he came up with a solution to monitor his son's calls.

"I asked my son to hand over his phone," he said. "I wasn't confiscating it, but just to screen his calls and the content of his text messages. I told him in no uncertain terms if he got a girl pregnant he will have to support the child and his pay cheque will be going towards the welfare of his child.

"But I do not want him dropping out of school and I refuse to let his grades suffer. I warned him that a hastily arranged tryst could land him in dire straits and that promiscuity comes as a price. So far the random checks I've conducted have paid off and I have managed to discourage any inappropriate behaviour before it escalated into something far more worrisome. "He doesn't object to the checks and doesn't know when the next one will be, but he has a better understanding as to why I take the time to check his phone.

"As a parent and one who is working in the security consultancy field, I have discussed the pros and cons of teenagers' cell phone use with other parents. One of the burning issues that was raised was the potential pitfalls of text messaging."

In an unusual approach the father showed his son that the convenience of having a cell phone can also make teenagers unwitting pawns in a predator's game.

The father "texted" a girl he selected at random from an Internet site he accessed with his mobile phone, claiming to have got her number from "a friend". BY the end of the text chat the father came away with not only the girl's name and e-mail address, but also other personal information — including when her parents would not be at home."When I presented my findings to my son he was surprised," he said. "The information she gave me was correct and I explained to my son that this could easily happen to him by someone posing as a girl.

"I had showed him that both parents and children have to be more diligent in screening their contacts. With text messaging you don't always know who you are talking to since the other person can misrepresent him or herself and in cyberspace one can be anonymous to a certain degree."

One question raised by concerned parents to the security consultant is the possibility of subscribing to cell phone packages that do not include the text messaging feature.

And during the course of his security work with the island's youth, the father said he had seen almost the full spectrum of adult victimisation — from kids who have been abused to those with older "Sugar Daddies" and "Mommies" they have met in cyberspace.

Worryingly, he says some of the parents do not seem concerned — and some have gone as far as to encourage their children's inappropriate behaviour with adults if it means they are getting money that will pay for extra groceries in the house.

Aside from children receiving messages that can lead to abuse on their mobile phones, the parent said there are also other factors that have to be taken into account — including the fact youngsters often abuse their phones and run up big bills they can't pay.

There are certain precautions parents, guardians and teenagers can take to both ensure responsible cell phone use and to minimise the risk of being victimised or in, other worst-case scenarios, being cyber-bullied or harassed.

Communicate, and talk to your child about sexual victimisation and potential online danger.

Spend time with your children on-line. Have them teach you about their favourite on-line destinations.

Instruct your children to never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they met on-line;

To never upload (post) pictures of themselves onto the Internet or on-line service to people they do not personally know.

To never give out identifying information such as their name, home address, school name, or telephone number.

To never download pictures from an unknown source, as there is good chance there could be sexually explicit images.

To never respond to message or bulletin board postings that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, or harassing.

To realise that whatever they are told on-line may not be true.

Parent warns of the dangers of cell phone abuse