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If you know your teen has a personal homepage, especially through a social networking site, but you don’t have any idea what is on it, check it out. Make sure that your teen has a homepage only if it is allowed for minors. Listen to what music and look at video clips your teen downloads or simply lists as his/her favorites. If any includes suggestive language about drugs and alcohol, or promotes dangerous behaviors, such as casual sex, violence, or drinking and driving, let this be a red flag. Check out the friends in their network and see what they are posting on their sites. If your teen’s friends have pictures of themselves at parties and everyone has a beer in their hand, chances are your teen has been to similar events. There may also be cause for alarm if your teen spends an inordinate amount of time online or e-mailing friends, seems secretive about his/her online activities or if the computer screen goes blank every time you walk by.


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