The Texas Attorney General warns that predators are becoming savvier as cell phones become more capable.

Sexual predators may be leaving their computers and turning to cell phones to prey on children. A study by Harris Interactive shows that 79 percent of teenagers now own a cell phone. The Texas Attorney General says he worries that those phones could leave kids vulnerable.

"They can download pictures. They can do virtually anything virtually anywhere," Greg Abbott said. "These child predators that we've been tracking down and arresting gravitate toward these new technology tools, also."

Abbott says parents need to use controls that most companies offer to restrict their kids' use. He encourages parents to limit the web sites kids can visit on their phones and the number of text messages they can send and receive.

"Before (AT&T's) 'Smart Limits' came out, she was sneaking on the phone late at night and receiving texts during school hours," one mother says of her 14-year-old daughter.

Most companies offer some form of parental control for free. Many offer more substantial controls are available for an additional fee.

Abbott says he also plans to ask the legislature to update the state's sex offender registration laws. He wants the state to require offenders to provide their mobile telephone numbers and social networking names.
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