Children across Hampton Roads, as young as 14, are bragging online about being in gangs.

Concerned emails from parents alerted 13News to the growing problem. On MySpace profiles and groups, kids from nearly every local high school are bragging, glamorizing, and recruiting.

”They are actually telling people their crimes and they are showing their faces to match it,” said Reverend Bill Emery. “It is not anonymous if their parents looked at the websites could find out what they are doing."

Emery is the director of God's X-Gangsters, and has been working for more than a decade on gang prevention. He says the internet is just the latest tool to influence kids into a life of crime.  

"Kids are looking for validity they are looking for someone to say they are important. Children will kill people to get attention. The sad part is how long will that last and how long will we let them hurt themselves without helping them out."

Emery says that's why parents have got to take back control.

"As parents we have a responsibility to know what our children are doing, our first wake up call should not be when a policeman walks through the door. It shouldn't be when we get a notice to court or when they get suspended from school,” said Emery. “Parents need to take responsibility for their children and stop pushing it across the desk to the schools and the police officer wanting someone else to parent their child.”

Emery believes if all parents sit back and do nothing they are only enabling the next generation of gangsters.