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Provide needed controls

Need another reminder to keep an eye on your child’s online activity?

Last week, an Ohio man was sentenced to at least 13 years in prison for meeting up with a girl from the dating app Bumble, taking her to dinner, then having sex with her.

The girl was 11.

Michael Hoang Ngo, 26, of Mason, Ohio, told police he thought the girl was 23, and that he had met her as a match on Bumble, according to a report by WCMH.

Allegedly, the girl chatted with him for a couple of weeks and he did not catch on that she was not 23.

But much worse, he claims he did not begin to question her age when he saw her — picking her up on the side of the road.

Ngo was convicted on rape and kidnapping charges, and will spend the rest of his life as a registered child sex offender.

Meanwhile, there is the matter of an 11-year-old, with a cellphone and apparently unmonitored access not just to the internet, but to dating apps. Parents cannot be careful or strict enough when it comes to their kids’ activity online. They’ve got to be adults.

Install parental controls. Ask questions. Monitor, pester and annoy.

Children may not appreciate this type of monitoring now, but someday they will know how it benefited them. Be a parent, not their friend.

Yes, kids grow up, and get more freedom and independence as they do.

Your job is to keep them safe.

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