ROGERS (KFSM) -- A group in Rogers presented information to parents Monday night (April 3) on how to make sure they are staying safe while online.
Hub of Hope aims to keep children safe from various forms of child exploitation.
The group's founder Jenny Sorey said the event was all about giving parents the information they need.
John Ahrends with Homeland Security said they do see incidents in Northwest Arkansas after kids talk with strangers through various apps.
He said it is not always the app itself but those using it.
“Snapchat and KiK and even something as innocuous as Facebook and Instagram when used improperly can lead to issues," Ahrends said.
To prevent any issues from happening, multiple pieces of advice were given.
“Get all up in their business," Sorey said. "Know what’s on their phones, know the social apps that they're using, know their friends, know where they’re going because that is going to be the first step in keeping them safe.”
Barbara Gregory, a mother and the founding director of Parents Against Child Trafficking, agreed with Sorey saying parents just need to talk with their children.
“They need to know mom’s not sitting down saying you can’t have this because I said so," Gregory said. "This is about parents and children learning together what’s safe and what’s not safe.”
She said parents should not worry about being too invasive with their child's technology use.
Gregory said it was more important to have your child know their phone will be monitored than possibly losing them to someone they met online.