While some still consider prank calls as more of a nuscense than a threat, others are simply tired of being "terrorized" by the thought of their innocent childeren having intimate conversations with complete strangers.  A cell phone number is practically indispensable today, both for business needs and to help keep track of your family.  Newer tracking technology like GPS for cell phones helps to give you piece of mind as to where your kids are at the moment, but what if they continue to call  a certain cell phone number repeatedly without your consent? 

If your child is simply being uncooperative, rather than take their cell phone away (it's much to important from a security standpoint), simply identify who they are talking to with a reverse cell numbers search.  Then you can make an informed determination whether you should contact the person directly, or notify the authorities if you suspect that they are a sexual predator.  Either way, you can take charge of the situation rather than simply feeling helpless not knowing what is going on.

If you hesitate to contact the authorities if you suspect that the person your child is speaking with has been on Dateline, another good source for assistance is the cell phone companies themselves.  All of the major cellular carriers (ATT, Sprint, Cingular, Verizon, Cricket) have dedicated security teams to assist in matters of identity theft and other forms of criminal abuse of cell phone service.