When it comes to navigating new romantic relationships, many teens feel they have all the answers. Taking time early on to talk openly with your tween about your family’s values, setting boundaries, risky behaviors and establishing healthy relationships can serve as a vital building block for a strong emotional foundation as he or she matures.

“Every child matures at a different rate. However, realistically, high school should be the earliest that dating should be considered,” said Joy Crabtree, PsyD, a licensed psychologist at Cook Children’s. “Rather than using a specific age or grade to determine if your child is ready to date, focus more on overall maturity level, ability to take responsibility and overall social skills. Parents need to realize that, like it or not, their children are going to mature and grow up. Try not to over-focus on preventing them from branching out and separating, but help them move through the stages of life with balance, perspective and respect for their parents’ rules.”

Ready or Not

So how are parents to know if their teen is ready to take that first step into the world of dating and broken hearts? Consider this:

Maturity - Although teens may look and be old enough to date, they may not have the mental and emotional maturity to do so. Consider their reactions to emotional situations and which stage they are at in their pubescent development. If your teens appear to be generally naïve or are emotionally overactive or sensitive, it is likely best if dating is delayed until they are older.

Sense of Responsibility - Teens who are safe drivers, actively involved in sports or hobbies, engaged in family and social activities, and doing well academically are generally responsible enough to date without a chaperone.

Crabtree also suggests considering whether or not your children are able to strike a healthy balance between academics and social activities and if they are responsible in completing required chores and able to meet deadlines or curfews.

Games and apps that are locally loaded and need no connectivity to the Internet to work are not categorized as "dangerous" as long as the content is appropriate for the age level of the child. However, most "free" apps require some level of connectivity for ad delivery. These ads are often unregulated or under-regulated and could contain links to material that is inappropriate for young children.

2. Social Interaction

Xbox, Playstation, and Wii (to name the popular consoles) all have the ability to connect a player with other, anonymous users. There are also games and other apps on Andriod, iOS devices, and PC that also allow social interaction with the gaming community. Kids can be subjected to ridicule, bullying, and age inappropriate conversations. Of course, sites and apps designed specifically for social interaction can be a worry if the content is not filtered and users can remain anonymous.

3. Information Sharing

A good deal of social media sites and apps give out a plethora of information about the user. This data can range from age to birth date and general regional area to specific city or even the exact address. A lot of times the information given is based on the users input and privacy settings; however, sometimes it can be unknown to the user. Take GPS location services as an example. If the young user may not be aware the app is pinpointing their current location to within 30 feet. Or, if they do, they may not realize the dangers associated with this type of situation.

4. False Accounts and Anonymity

Most social media sites and apps - even the most well known - allow for fake accounts to be created. Beyond fake accounts, a lot of apps out there promote anonymity among the users. Apps like "Omegle" and "Chat with Strangers" were built around the premise of anonymity. The problem comes when the child is encouraged to give out their personal information during a chat session. Children can be gullible and may more readily fall for scams being perpetrated by an adult. Even seemingly useless information can be used to create a bigger picture.

5. Lack of Filtering

Some sites and apps are policed for inappropriate content while others are not. However, even on sites that are supposed to be policed and filtered for inappropriate content, some things still get through. Take YouTube as an example. It is very difficult to police millions of videos and code that can successfully filter videos by content are not very useful (i.e. skin tone recognition) and produce too many false positive alerts. Because of this, YouTube relies on the community of users to police the content and alert YouTube if inappropriate material is found. Does this work? Not well. When's the last time you spent hours looking at random videos for inappropriate content? Beyond YouTube, sites and apps usually filter content based on age restrictions. My kids use age appropriate sites for educational entertainment that does filter content. If you attempt to type foul language, the words will be replaced with asterisks. You will also be warned and, if the behavior continues, your account will be terminated. The big problem comes when children lie about their age and sign up for apps designed to be used by adults. In those cases, there are not content filters.

6. Intent of the App

Any app can be used in a benign or harmful way; however, many apps out there are specifically intended to be used for meeting up with people to either date or downright have a sexual encounter. Regardless of what my child may tell me regarding their use of an app specifically designed to facilitate a sexual encounter with an adult, I would never allow continued use of the app. The bottom line is apps intended to be used by consenting adults should not be used by anyone under age - period. Even if the child's intention is to use such an app outside of the apps expected use, other users on the app will not know this. Things can go horribly awry.

7. Maturity level

Continuing with the intent of the app and the age and maturity of the user, children may be signing up on these sites out of curiosity or the lure of monetary gain. Sites and apps designed to be "Sugar Daddy" dating apps can be alluring. "Meet a millionaire" who will bestow expensive gifts upon you! These sites are very dangerous. The judgment of a child is not mature ... because they are still a child. Reactionary decisions can lead to catastrophic results. A young girl may be upset because her parents refused to upgrade her iPhone to the latest version and her friend tells her about some "sugar daddy" dating app where she can meet a man that will buy her whatever she wants. Immaturity can be a hindrance to thinking things through and recognizing the potential dangers.

Irving Police said the boy admitted to choking to death his ex-girlfriend, but his unsolicited confession came before he had his rights read to him.

Although the story is sad and shocking to us, it’s all too common.

When it comes to relationships, teens are the most common age group to experience dating violence, and dating inexperience is often to blame.

“Many teens in danger don’t realize their relationships are unhealthy or that certain behaviors are inappropriate,” said Jamye Coffman, M.D., medical director of the Cook Children’s CARE (Child Advocacy Resource and Evaluation) team. “Abuse doesn’t always involve physical assault, and many inexperienced teens and young adults view threats jealousy and controlling behaviors as signs of love.”

An estimated one in three teenagers is in an abusive relationship.

Because abuse is common in teenage relationships, it’s important for parents to talk with their children about the signs of abuse and the components of a healthy relationship before teens start dating. Parents should also model respectful behaviors in their own relationships.

“Explain that partners should respect and support one another and maintain safe boundaries,” Coffman said. “If you are worried, you can say, ‘I’m concerned about our current relationship, and I want to make sure this is a healthy one for you.’ By maintaining a healthy, respectful relationship with your teenager, you can keep communication open.”

Unfortunately, many of these relationships by teens are carried over into adulthood.

If teenagers are in an abusive relationship and want to break up, support from family and friend is essential. According to Dr. Coffman, teenagers should always carry a cell phone so they can call for help if necessary. They should also never end an abusive relationship when they are alone.

If teens attend school with their significant other, the school needs to be aware of the situation to prevent retaliation from occurring during the school day.

“The break-up period is the most dangerous time for abuse to occur or escalate,” Dr. Coffman said. “Parents need to help their children develop a plan, which should include ways to maintain safety. It’s also important for parents to recognize that girls are not the only ones at risk for abuse, and abuse doesn’t only happen in heterosexual relationships.”

Identifying Abuse

The following signs indicate teenagers may be in unhealthy relationships:

• Checking their significant other’s email, text messages or voicemail without permission.
• Jealousy.
• Mood swings.
• Offhand comments intended to degrade or put down, which are often written off as joking or teasing.
• Withdrawal from friends, family and favorite activities.
• Unexplained bruises or physical injuries.

The best thing a friend can do is help a woman suffering from domestic violence to connect with people who can get her out of her situation so she can develop a safe plan to reclaim her life. If you are in the Fort Worth area, contact One Safe Place to learn more about domestic violence, support victims, or to receive help. Nationally, call the National Domestic Violence hotline at 1-800-SAFE (7233).