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"A note to parents: parental control software doesn't protect your daughters from engaging in risky online behavior as much as \"quality parenting,\" and monitoring her online activities yourself. \nResearchers from the University of Cincinnati released a report on Monday in Pediatrics about the online behaviors of teenage girls and factors that increased their risk of engaging in potentially dangerous, or at least inappropriate behavior.  \nThe study followed the online behavior of 251 teenage girls, ages 14 to 17, for 12-16 months in 2008 when the hot social network was MySpace. Their offline behavior was also monitored, in addition to how each teen was parented. \nResearchers wanted to see if girls who were maltreated (neglected, or physically or sexually abused) were more likely to engage in dangerous behaviors. Of the 251 girls in the study, 130 experienced \"substantiated maltreatment\" and 121 of whom were demographically matched comparison girls who reported no maltreatment. However, all subjects were considered \"high risk.\" \n SEE ALSO: Nearly Half of Teen Internet Users Have Lied About Their Age [INFOGRAPHIC] \nGirls who were maltreated were more likely to have exposure to sexual content online, create \"high-risk social networking profiles,\" and receive online sexual solicitations. And 30% of the teens said they've met a stranger in person after chatting online. \n\"Maltreatment, adolescent behavioral problems, and low cognitive ability were uniquely associated with high-risk Internet behaviors,\" the study notes. \nBut girls whose parents monitored their behavior and encouraged open communication reduced the association between a teen's risk factors and risky online behaviors. \nThe study suggests pediatric practitioners advise parents on media literacy and encourage greater involvement in their kids' social media lives. \n\"Internet safety and sex education programs should highlight the implications for provocative self-presentations, offer skills for handling sexual solicitations,\" the study concludes. \nWhat do you do as a parent to keep your kids safe online? Tell us in the comments. \nPhoto courtesy of iStockphoto, vgajic "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/01/14/maltreated-girls-risky-online-behavior/>