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Privacy dangers and your kid's social media: Mom Squad with 3News' Maureen Kyle

It's impossible to keep teens off of social media, but it's critical to know how to keep them safe. A litigation attorney explains what boundaries to set for kids.

CLEVELAND — Teens are using social media more than ever. A recent Pew Research Center study found that 46 percent surveyed say they use the internet "almost constantly." They also found the most popular social media platforms are YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. But these can be dangerous in many ways.

In today's Mom Squad, Maureen Kyle talks to Litigation Attorney with Dolman Law Firm, Stan Gipe -- a father of a 13-year-old -- who says they are constantly working on cases regarding privacy.

He says, like everyone, kids want to post photos of when they win or when they are looking their best to impress people. But that is setting up a very public life for them.

“When we go into privacy, you know, there is so much out there about children,” says Gipe. “If you were to follow my kid, look into his Snapchat, look into his TikTok and feed, you would know what his interests are. You would know what is likely to get a response from him, and if you're a predator, if you're someone who's looking with bad intentions, you've got a lot of information going in to help you sort of get a leg up.”

Gipe goes in depth about the privacy settings you think are keeping you safe. Even if you keep your posts and comments private, the social media companies have all of your information. They use that personal information to use targeted ads or pop-up videos they think you'll be interested in.

To see the entire episode of Mom Squad, including what boundaries Gipe sets for his own 13-year-old son, tune into our WKYC+ channel which you can get on Roku and Fire TV. Or you can see it on our WKYC YouTube page or watch below.

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