Transcript for What Your Kids Don't Want You to Know: Online Gaming Dangers

Now to our series what your kids don't want you to know and this morning we are taking on a danger you may not realize exists, your kids can be at risk playing video games in your own home. T.j. Holmes is back on the beat, important information, T.J. Yeah, good morning, robach. I don't want to scare parents but you need to hear this. Even in your own home your child is by himself playing a video game. You still have to be worried because they're not really in there alone. Because of online gaming now, the whole world is in that room with them. It's wildly popular, but parents beware. Predators may be using online gaming to target your child. I honestly didn't think anything like that would ever happen to anybody in my family. Reporter: This woman who we'll call Susan says a stranger approached her son while he was playing clash of clans online with a group of friends. Can you remember well that day and what happened? Yeah, it glooms me definitely. Her son we'll call him Simon was 8 years old at the time and within a matter of minutes, gave his phone number, last name and even sent the stranger a picture of himself. I have it right, the person went from immediately saying hi to send me a picture. Yeah, basically. Reporter: Meanwhile, Susan is at the grocery store and is able to watch this conversation live because her smartphone is synced. What do you see. My son sends a picture just, you know, a goofy little boy picture of his face and the other person sends a picture of a teenage girl but it's a picture of a picture, not a selfie and now I'm starting to realize this is not good. I've got to get him off this game. I am calling my husband at home just saying, get the iPad away from him. He is on with a stranger. Reporter: And they're not the only ones. It happened to 10-year-old Olivia playing the popular game mindgraft. A person calling himself Ben told Olivia he was 12. They texted for weeks. He sent me a photo. It did kind of look like he was 12. Reporter: Olivia's mom was suspicious something wasn't right. She took her daughter's phone one night. I said, send me a picture. He said if I take a picture of every inch of my body will you do the same. I said yes but I'm running out of time but he sent three within 30 seconds. According to the FBI's website, there are 750,000 predators online at any given time and they all coo have a virtual key to your house via the internet. A lot of the online games have multiplayer feature connected to people all across the globe whether that's live chat over a microphone or chat on a keyboard. You can be connected to just about anybody. Reporter: How has that changed your gaming experience, how you use the internet? It just makes me more careful. I always make my codename not a last name or anything that they could find out. Reporter: Did you and dad find yourselves being a little overprotective after this happened? Whenever I get tired and think, oh, I can't figure out another new game, I just remind myself, we were given a little blessing in a situation that keeps us vigilant. Microsoft which owns minecraft sent over a statement saying helping keep kids safer as hauls been a priority and we encourage parents to also may an active role in their church's online actives. A lot of games has a mode you can have invite only and if you turn that on, then the kids have to let someone into that chat but sometimes -- They let lots of people into chose chat rooms. Weaver Ericka souter editor of mom.com joining us. I say that because I know this exact thing hanned in my household with that exact game. Two of my children were texting back and forth with a person posing as a woman who was supposed to be like preventing bullying on the site and they established a relationship with her gave her information. We found out and went crazy. How can parents police this better? It really is a frightening reality for parents. The best thing you can do tell them potential dangers in an age appropriate way. It's interesting. We think nothing of telling them of stranger danger in the real world. Well, the same should go online. They need to know what is inappropriate for their friends to ask. They said my kids said, well, mom, it's a nice woman who is helping us prevent bullying. You have though think of that person as a scary monster because they could be anybody, anything. What rules should you put in place for your children? Very simple rules that mom.me readers have followed. Number one, keep personal information personal. Don't reveal your name, no photos, no phone Numbers. Where you live. Where you live. Either parents information. Number two, online friends should be real-life friends, you never know. That person could say I'm a 12-year-old in a town next door to you but could be a grown person trying to find out more about them. And lastly, you know, don't go into chat rooms or spark up conversations with strangers. That's a huge no-no. Right, I mean, it is so hard because they're so easily influenced and, yet, T.J., I know if you want to keep your kids offline. It's impossible. They need to be online for school most of the time. Areas where kids are at a disadvantage because they don't have connectivity or these guises that some other areas have but like this mother you saw in the piece, she went home and intentionally scared the mess out of her child to let him see that rye at. And that's part of it. You have to empower them to know what to do and to be prepared for it when you're not sitting right there because chances are when they get approached. I had both my kids in tears because I wanted them to know how scary it was and it's important for all parents. Bottom line is you're the parent. You're the boss. Don't let location service, cut it offment don't make purchases, don't give them your passcode and make sure they're not posting content without you knowing. Incredible advice. We appreciate it.

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