Living the Life: Parenting in the digital age

In this "Living The Life" segment, we're talking about parenting in the digital age.

Kids and teens especially spend a lot of time on their phones and we know sometimes those social connections lead to dangerous situations.

So, what's the perfect way to manage the balancing act of respecting their privacy and keeping them safe at the same time?

First, let's take a look at some of the most popular social media apps being used right now.

  • Kik: Instant messaging-often used for sexting username only
  • Tinder: Used for dating & "hooking up"
  • Snapchat: Image or text disappears in seconds- easy to hide activity from parents.
  • Blender: Flirting app, uses GPS location services to find someone close to you

Here are some good tips for keeping your children safe on the Internet.

Teach you child about respect: respect themselves and for others. And remember that if you ban them from one site they'll just move to another.

Private is no longer private: once you put it out there - it's out there.

Stranger danger: make sure they really know who they are talking to.

Let me help: tell your kids to not be afraid to speak up if you think something is wrong. Things get out of hand quickly on the web.

VIDEOS: Watch our discussion in the video players above. Then, continue watching for Part 2 where we're joined by Teresa Mask, a senior public relations manager at AT&T Michigan, to get her advice on keeping a healthy parenting balance.

Teresa also introduces us to some new products that can help protect kids from the online dangers. One of the products is a watch with a GPS, which is great for kids who may not have a phone yet. You can program five emergency numbers into the phone, too. Those same five numbers are the only ones who are, in return, able to call the child via the watch. You can get more information about the FiLIP here

You can also catch our follow-up Facebook chat here:

Click here if you cannot see the video.