As if parents don't have enough to worry about, now there's "sexting" to add to the host of "digital abuse" that kids face from modern technology.

"Sexting" involves the sending of sexually explicit photos and materials via cell phone (think sex + texting), a fairly common concern for parents whose kids already use the Internet, and an issue fueling the popularity of parental control software.

Jezebel.com revealed this week that a recent poll found that "sexting and 'digital abuse' are disturbingly common" and that the latter is associated with suicidal thoughts.

But "digital abuse" is just a better term for the type of cyber bullying and sexual exploitation that kids face from online predators every time they log online.

And while there isn't yet any parental control software for your child's cell phone (not yet anyway), investing in parental control software is one good way to minimize digital abuse in your household.

After all, a cyber bully who abuses your kid via texts is just as likely to do the same in social networking sites.

And the same goes for online predators who use digital media to abuse kids from a distance.

Hopefully the technology will soon catch up with the need for a parental control software for cell phones. Until then, parents should think carefully about giving their child unrestricted access to a cell phone, and watch carefully for behaviors that could indicate digital abuse.