The problem is these apps simply aren’t for children under any circumstance and can lead to tragic consequences.

On Feb. 11, a 44-year-old Arlington man was arrested of sexually assaulting four students in the Keller ISD.

Reports say the man met the girls through a website called Seeking/Arrangement.com. Other sites parents should be concerned about include Grindr, Tinder and KIK.

“The problem with these message apps is that it’s really hard to find the perpetrators after they use them,” said Jamye Coffman, M.D., pediatrician and medical director for Cook Children’s Advocacy Resource and Evaluation. “That information is difficult to find. So it can be very anonymous. It’s very dangerous for teenagers because they don’t really know who is on the other side.”

With the GPS devices on the apps of these sites, your teenage kid could give a complete stranger the location of your home. They may come into mom and dad’s home without you even knowing it. 

Coffman said that the reason for the bad judgment can be directly related to basic science.

“Teenagers and younger-aged children just aren’t able from a developmental standpoint to really grasp the consequences of what they are doing,” Coffman said. “Their frontal lobe of their brain hasn’t finished developing. Their impulse control is not very good. It’s up to the parents to know what their kids are up to. They have to know what’s on their child’s phone. Parents need to look at their phones and see what apps they’re using and talk to them about it.”

And with kids becoming more tech savvy in elementary school, the need for conversations about predators and sex must begin at an earlier age than ever before.

“The goal is to get them to adulthood, right? Where they can learn and make their own decisions,” Coffman said. “They do have to have natural consequences. That’s the only way they are going to learn. So you do have to let them have some consequences but you don’t want it to be something that’s either life threatening or life altering. As a parent, you can’t allow that to happen. It’s hard as a parent to talk to your kid about sex and the dangers out there. It’s really hard to have those open, non-judgmental conversations. It may be your pediatrician, if you aren’t able to have that conversation. But someone has to talk to them. It’s too important to just ignore the issues facing our kids these days.”

Parents, want to keep your children away from predators? Then be a snoop.

That’s the advice of Dr. Coffman, who is not just talking as an expert in caring for and knowing the signs of abused children, she’s speaking as a mom.

“Parents need to be nosy,” Coffman said. “Your kids may say, ‘It’s my phone.” But you’re paying for it. It’s what I used to tell my kids growing up. If you live in my home, there is no supposition that you are going to have privacy. There is no privacy if I’m paying your bills. I have the right to go in your room. I have the right to look at your phone. I have the right to look in your backpack. I have the right to look in your mattress and in the ceiling tiles and anywhere else you might hide stuff because it’s my house. I think parents are hesitant to take that role. They are so conflicted in what’s Ok and what’s not Ok for their child’s privacy. It’s just a concern for safety. If it’s something that’s a safety issue, you have a right to know.”

Jody Hawkins, Information Security Officer at Cook Children’s, seconds Dr. Coffman’s sentiments regarding privacy of children. In presentations that he gives to parents, Hawkins cautions parents to lay down the rule early.

“This is my phone, on my plan, and I pay the bills,” he said. “If you do not follow my rules, then I stop paying for the phone you are borrowing from me. If I stop paying, the phone stops working. It’s as simple as that.

Hawkins encourages spyware to be installed on children’s phones by the parents. He asks parents, “Would you allow your child to take a stranger into the bathroom, lock the door and have no worries? They usually answer, ‘No.’ I then tell them that if they allow the child to take the phone into the bathroom with no monitoring, they could very well be doing it all the time.”

It’s the world we live in today. If you want to protect your children parents, be a snoop.

The short answer is yes because your child is still more protected than without one.

Donald Murphey,M.D., medical director of Infectious Disease at Cook Children’s, was on a conference call with the CDC the morning of Thursday, Dec. 4, to discuss the advisory.

The dominant influenza strains at present in the US are influenza A, H3. There are two of these strains present this year:

• One is a good match for the vaccine currently in use.
• The second, accounting for about half of the samples tested, is a new flu A, H3 strain that was not seen until March 2014.

This new strain is not included in the current vaccine, but Dr. Murphey says it will likely be included in the vaccine for next year.

“This strain has drifted from other similar strains seen in the last few years. This new flu A could be associated with more severe influenza cases, and a more severe flu season in general, Dr. Murphey said.

But he stresses that parents and their children should still get a flu shot.

The CDC recommends:

• Treatment with antivirals for influenza more emphatically this season in hopes of preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaled powder) that fight against the flu in your body. Antiviral drugs are not sold over-the-counter. You can only get them if you have a prescription from your doctor or health care provider. Antiviral drugs are different from antibiotics, which fight against bacterial infections.

• Staying home if you have flu-like symptoms.

• Cover your cough.

• Frequent hand washing.

“We should still be using flu vaccine, as it is our best way to prevent this potentially serious illness,” Dr. Murphey said. “People's best chance of avoiding influenza and complications of influenza is to be immunized every year. That’s how we build up a community that can protect themselves from new strains, even when we did not have a vaccine for it yet.”

More resources:

• Six ways to protect your family from the flu
• The danger of the flu
• It's only the flu that killed her
• Fever, headaches and tummy aches: when you should be concerned
• Is your child afraid of shots?
• CDC's flu page
• What You Should Know for the 2014-2015 Influenza Season
• Seasonal Influenza Q&A

Tarrant County Public Health (TCPH) confirmed the first imported case of chikungunya as a Mansfield, Texas, resident, who contracted the disease while in the Caribbean and was diagnosed by doctors upon returning home. Additional details are not being released to protect the identity of the patient.

This is the first imported case of chikungunya virus disease reported in Tarrant County – and the 13th in Texas. To date, local spread of the virus has been reported in Florida, but no other states.

Tarrant County Public Health stated that imported cases could make local spread possible because the Aedes mosquitoes that transmit the virus are found in Texas.

Aedes mosquitoes are active and bite during the day the TCPH said, so it’s important for people to protect themselves against mosquitoes at all times.

Because symptoms are similar, TCPH encourages physicians to consider both chikungunya and dengue infection in patients with acute onset of fever and joint pain - and patients who have recently visited areas where at least one of the viruses is present.

Donald Murphey, M.D., medical director of Infectious Disease at Cook Children's, stresses that all cases of chikungunya in the United States have been a result of people traveling outside of the country and returning home. No one has become infected by the virus without leaving U.S. The World Health Organization reports 350,580 suspected cases of the viral infection in the United States.

While infections are rarely fatal, chikungunya can be quite painful; especially for children. Children are impacted more severely.

• Children have a greater chance for rashes and joint pain can be quite painful.
• Babies’ only symptoms may be a rash and fever.
• Older children may complain of aching in their head or joints. Often times, nausea accompanies an infection.

If you notice these symptoms, please contact your pediatrician. A cure for chikungunya doesn’t exist, but a doctor may be help to ease the symptoms.

Symptoms usually begin three to seven days after being bitten by a mosquito. There is no vaccine or treatment for the virus. Most people feel better within a week, though some people may develop longer-term joint pain.

Chikungunya is not transmitted from direct person to person contact. Instead a person with the disease can be the source of the virus for mosquitoes to bite someone else and spread it. To prevent the spread of the disease, people with chikungunya illness should be especially careful to avoid exposure to mosquitoes during the first week of illness.

DSHS encourages people to protect themselves from mosquito bites at home and while traveling. The Aedes mosquitoes that transmit chikungunya are active and bite during the day. Precautions include:

• Use an approved insect repellent every time you go outside, and follow label instructions.
• Drain standing water where mosquitoes can breed.
• Wear long sleeves and pants when outside.
• Use air conditioning or make sure doors and windows are screened to keep mosquitoes outside.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with recent outbreaks in the Caribbean and the Pacific, the number of chikungunya cases among travelers visiting or returning to the United States from affected areas will likely increase. Cases have occurred in Africa, Southern Europe, Southeast Asia, and islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Measles is highly contagious and can easily spread by simply breathing, coughing, sneezing or coming in close contact with an infected person. If you or anyone you know develops symptoms of this disease, please contact your health care provider immediately.

Measles begins as a mild infection with fever, congestion, cough and some oral lesions. It then worsens to a severe respiratory infection, with very red eyes, lots of coughing and a rash all over the body with red, slightly raised, round spots. Measles can have complications such as pneumonia, dehydration and in rare occasions swelling of the brain (encephalitis). Measles is especially dangerous for people with weak immune systems.

Donald Murphey, M.D., medical director of Infectious Disease at Cook Children’s, and TCPH remind people that measles is a vaccine-preventable disease. Adults who have received a measles vaccine series are considered immune. Those who have not been immunized against measles, or have never had measles, should contact their health care provider to get vaccinated.

“If you think you, or your child, may have measles or have been exposed, call your doctor immediately and try not to come in contact with others,” Dr. Murphey said. “The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and very effective at preventing measles.  If you are travelling with children, they can be immunized against measles to protect them as early as 6 months old. Children normally start the MMR vaccine at 1 year old. If you or your child has not had the vaccination, please call your doctor to arrange this ASAP.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends two doses of the vaccine. The first dose should be given at 12 months of age and the second between the ages of 4 to 6 years. But children can get the second dose at any age, as long as it is at least 28 days after the first dose.

You can find more information about Measles by clicking HERE.

The last recorded cases of Measles in Tarrant County were in 2013.

Click here to find a Cook Children's pediatrician in your area to get your child vaccinated.