Teens at Risk on Web Sites, Experts Say {MySpace}

[RedEarth]

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - On MySpace.com, teenagers can find kindred spirits who share their love of sports, their passion for photography or their crush on a Hollywood star. They can also find out where their online friends live, where they attend school, even what they look like.

And so can adults.

Parents, school administrators and police are increasingly worried that teens are finding trouble online at sites like MySpace, the leader of the social-networking sites that encourage users to build larger and larger circles of friends.

Police in Middletown, Conn., are investigating recent reports that as many as seven local girls were sexually assaulted by men in their 20s who contacted them through MySpace pretending to be teenagers. One girl allowed a man into her room while her parents were home, police said, underscoring just how in the dark parents often are about one of the most popular Web activities for teens today.

There are other reports like these scattered around the country, prompting some parents and schools to equate the likes of MySpace with the Internet's red-light district, even as many experts believe that the worries are greater than the actual dangers.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060220/D8FSHU000.html

[humbled_opinion]

1. Is it that serious?

My son has an account on this myspace site is it really that bad or is this a hyped up hit piece?

[benburch]

2. Yeah, I'd say its serious.

You as a parent HAVE to monitor your kid's online activity.

MOST kids who are online will eventually get an inappropriate sexual advance from an adult.

Dateline did a sting operation where they pretended to be a kid online, and in three days managed to arrest a thirty sexual offenders.

[humbled_opinion]

3. Yes..

I saw that piece on Dateline. But it did not specifically mention this myspace site. Mostly my kids are talking to their neighborhood and school friends on this site... I think I will do some more investigation..

[benburch]

4. Check out this site.

http://www.perverted-justice.com/

[humbled_opinion]

7. Thanks..

I will definately review whats going on...

[PSPS]

6. It's mostly hype

It's mostly hype. This is our MSM tabloid industry, here. They love to trot out these stories, expecially if they involve or even hint at sex with children. Usually that means it's sweeps period.

Anyway, if you're concerned, just put the computer in the living room or some other area that is used by the household at large, and you'll be fine.

[benburch]

8. And your basis for this opinion is?

Sorry, dude, but I seriously believe that is is not hype whatsoever.

[Catch22Dem]

13. I agree

Yes, there is a problem with children being sought out online, but as long as parents are responsible enough to continually monitor their childrens' online activity, AND teach the kids what NOT to post (personal information) you'll stay perfectly safe. These stories are really good to hear about and talk to your kids about, but in the end, they're just "sweeps week" stories that they really like to hype up with lead-ins like "Is your child being watched by online predators, Channel 2 Problem Solvers will tell you at 10:00."

[nini]

14. It's very REAL My niece is a principal at a big high school in L.A.

this is a real problem. She has told stories of police having to come to the school many times for issues she wouldn't go into big detail because of investigations, but said the Myspace and other sites are targets of the creepy types. She said the issues are SCARY.

It's easy to watch your kids while they're at home but teens are everywhere and we cannot always be on top of them. so saying to put the home computer in the living room


When she told me about this it gave me the creeps.

[zonmoy]

15. My parents

did that before their even was an internet.

[BR_Parkway]

25. Not saying that there aren't problems within the network, it's still up to

the parents to monitor their kids activities.

Look at this one statement from the article:

One girl allowed a man into her room while her parents were home, police said, underscoring just how in the dark parents often are about one of the most popular Web activities for teens today.

I can't fault the website for allowing the 2 to meet online as much as I can the parents for not knowing what was going on in their daughter's room.

[NashVegas]

28. That Would Have Happened With or Without MySpace

MySpace is the ultimate resource for a culture that is creating itself from the bottom up. Not something that can be controlled by filters. It's gonna scare the bejesus out of some quarters.

[TexasLawyer]

24. My children have sites.

I find it beneficial, because I keep tabs on them and their friends. (see my posts below).

Carefully monitor AOL Instant Messaging, also. That is where the real nasty conversations take place. I have parental spy software that takes screenshots every 30 seconds and copies all keystrokes, among other things. I know everything that's going on with my children (at least everything that transacts over the computer) and everyone's passwords to every account.

[shanti]

36. exactly

i know more about my son's goings on now than i did before myspace. he doesn't hide it from me either and i have his password too ;)

[sendero]

32. If you can trust your kid....

.... to understand that there are predators out there and to NEVER divulge ANY personal information, no address, no phone numbers, no nothing, I think it's pretty safe.

If you aren't sure if your kid is disciplined enough or clever enough to do that, then yes, I'd be concerned.

[lovuian]

5. I agree My Space definitely has predators out there

I just got a account...I put a picture of my favorite comic character ( she's very pretty) and with a blink of an eye I had two guys asking for more information on me... The only reason I got on there was for access to the new bands and their music get showcased on there...

If I had a teenager no way would they be on there...

[truthisfreedom]

9. part of the seriousness is this: myspace does not allow users to be part

of the browse feature (searching to meet people) unless they claim to be at least 18 years old. because of this, kids claim to be 18 so they can get in the search engine, so you have adults looking for 18-up and finding youngsters... this is EXTREMELLY common and a very stupid practice on the part of the children. parents should regularly examine their childrens' myspace accounts and demand to see ALL of their accounts (many people set up multiple accounts to create different personalities.)

[benburch]

10. Myspace would have no other options.

There are laws that prohibit you from disclosing information about minors.

[silverlib]

11. Yes, it's serious...and just purchased by Murdock.

my teenager just pulled hers down. There is way too much personal info and I read on a post on DU a couple of weeks ago that Murdock just purchased the company.

[lynne]

12. Sure there are perverts on myspace.com and -

- they're on every single site you visit, not just there. My daughter - age 18 - knows not to give personal info, etc. online and is aware of the types of nut cases that can lurk there.

However, she has also met some nice kids online and has made new friends that live in the area. For that matter, I've several friends that I've met online, too. So, you can't just say that all people online are predators. Heck, you can find predators at the shopping mall but that doesn't keep anyone from shopping.

I also have a myspace.com account that I use only for lurking. I check it every so often just to see what is going on there. Better safe than sorry.

[bemildred]

16. Teens are at risk period. It's not something invented on the network.

And it's not new.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

17. Thank you...Talk to your kids, folks.

Between the ages of 11 and 14, I was approached by 4 different men inappropriately on numerous occasions. Two of them were neighborhood weirdos, one was one of my customers on a paper route, and one was driving along the street where I was walking home from the store.

Because my mom had talked with me about this possibility from an early age, I knew better than to engage them in conversation or give them any information about myself. When the driver of the car followed me, I got his tag number and walked to a neighbor's house...not my own...and called the police.

Before your kids are old enough to find time alone on the computer (you can't monitor them forever, no matter what you'd like to think), make certain they know that the people they interact with online may not be the people they claim to be. Tell them that meeting these people in the real world could have dangerous consequences. Teach them to have a plan for dealing with people who proposition them...and don't stop reminding them.

[TexasLawyer]

18. More hidden dangers

Lots of kids brag about their drug use and crimes on MySpace. Really!!! Also, they post pictures of themselves in illegal activities like smoking weed or cooking meth. If I was a prosecuter, and one of these MySpace braggarts was on trial, I would definitely use his/her own words (or photos) to put that person in jail.

If you have kids with a MySpace account CHECK it often. If your kid is one of the braggarts, find out if what they're saying is true. If it is, well, you have a problem but at least you know about it. True or not, they need to scrub the site down of incriminating pictures and statements. Better yet, they shouldn't even have a MySpace site.

And check the sites belonging to your kids' friends. I have found some very, very bad apples among my childrens' MySpace amigos.

[TexasLawyer]

19. Elle Woods

Here's how gullible my 11 year old is. Laura lied about her age and opened a MySpace site. She was really excited to find the MySpace site of Elle Woods from the "Legally Blond" movies.

There was Elle's picture, Elle's blog, Elle's friends from law school, etc... So great!

Until I explained to my daughter that Elle Woods is a FICTIONAL CHARACTER and she couldn't possibly have a website. She couldn't have anything. She wasn't real.

[benburch]

20. You are a great parent.

This is just the sort of supervision kids need while online.

There were a large number of kids suspended from sporting activities and from school here recently for blogging on that site about drinking and drug use.

This wasn't as much of an issue when my kids were growing up, but I still kept an eye on them. If they were growing up now, we'd have a filtered, kid-safe internet feed, and I'd still only let them online when I was around to glance over their shoulders.

[TexasLawyer]

21. Some of my snooping takes effort

On MySpace, one is denied access to the blogs and the "see more pictures" button unless one also has a MySpace site.

So, my husband and I are now a cute blond girl named "Cassie". We had fun making up "our" MySpace profile.

[benburch]

22. And how many rude advances has Cassie received? nt

[TexasLawyer]

23. Cassie isn't really "out there,"

poor girl. Just a spy vehicle. She has only one friend-- Tom, the MySpace administrator.

You have to hook up with friends and with groups on My Space in order to really circulate

[file83]

26. I'm a grown man, and even I've been stocked by SCARY older women

on MySpace.com.
I can't even imagine the kind of solicitation I'd get if I were an attractive young female. YIKES.:hide:

[Hepburn]

27. I don't think there is much hype in the article.

I am a lawyer and I do child custody cases. In one guardianship case, this site became a large problem. I have advised my client to keep the child over whom she has a guardianship OFF the site. I printed and faxed her a copy of the article. For the obvious reasons, I cannot go into detail about what went on, but believe me, if I were the mother of a teen-ager, he/she would NOT have access to MySpace.

[darkism]

29. The problem is that MySpace administrators...

...don't actively hunt down and delete the accounts of the obviously underaged, as per their TOS. It really needs to be made into an 18+ service with some way to verify it. Waaaaaaaay too many kids who lie about their age just to be part of the new fad.

This is why I prefer thefacebook - a .edu email is required to register so everybody is of a responsible age.

[Dancing_Dave]

30. Myspace is a real movement building place!

The ONLY way to build an effective movement involving young people is to work with net centers such as Myspace.

[PittPoliSci]

34. it's owned by rupert murdoch.

maybe he's the one building the movement?

[rickrok66]

31. MySpace.com - Something's gonna give

I browse MySpace and my son who is 14 also uses it, but doesn't have a profile.

I think the original intent of MySpace was for bands to showcase their music. Now MySpace has like 54 million people using it from around the world. So statistically, you will have your fair share of weirdos.

What bothers me about MySpace is that anyone can claim that they are 18. The second thing that bothers me is that there are fields for your high school and place of work. My son found all his friends in about 10 minutes of research. What would it take for some perv to track down someone in a given high school and place of work?

If you are letting your kid on sites like MySpace.com unsupervised, it is the equivalent of letting them go to a mall connected to Times Square, connected to the Red Light District, connected to the Burning Man concert, connected to the largest freak show on earth.

I have found profiles for everything from kids, to Nazi stuff, to porno stars, to the guy with short hair from CSI (yes - he is on MySpace), to people who claim that they are real vampires, to an ever growing profile that calls for the impeachment of the President.

The bottom line is that MySpace has turned into a venue for people to push themselves, their beliefs, their shows, their music, and whatever.

I think eventually MySpace will have to make it for adults only and require that they register with a credit card or some proof of majority or clean house and make it for just fo teens. They are taking on the responsibility of being a microcosm of the internet and I don't think their management can support that burden.

[WHAT]

33. What advise could you give someone...

who came across a young teen whom she knew in early childhood on a website that was somewhat scary. This person knew the child from previous familial ties that are inalternately broken. Yet, she knew this child and was alarmed. Could she contact someone who could alert the parents? She's pretty sure they must not be aware of their child's site...names, ages, birthdate match. Do or can people use a child's information for their own purposes. What to do? in such a situation?

[shanti]

35. oh it's very true

my teen son has a myspace page and you should see the stuff that comes thru his site! all of his school mates have pages too. i've seen pics of pregnant 14 yr olds showing off their bellies, kids puking their guts out after a drinking spree, lies and rumors spread about people, you name it, and they do it. underdressed strippers have their own pages too and every young straight male on myspace has lots of these women sending them mail. i could see where this would be a hotbed for chesters:(

they'd have to shut this site down before the kids leave it tho.

[HuffleClaw]

37. utter crap

this the same as parents blaming video games/video games/comics for their kid's suicide. not that cbyerstalking/bullying doesn't exist of course, but a responsible parent is going to be aware of their kids internet use and educate them about this stuff.

[dooner]

38. More recent myspace concerns (Santa Cruz, CA)

Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA), 2/19/06

"The arrest last week of 26-year-old Nathan John Contos, a Santa Cruz paramedic who is charged with molesting a 14-year-old girl whom he met through MySpace, is one of many such stories to unfold in the two years since the site was launched. Contos, who was released after posting $100,000 bail, will be arraigned Feb. 28 on charges of child molestation and intimidating a witness.

MySpace has been associated with murders in Baltimore and suburban New Jersey, as well as rape and child molestation cases in Texas, Connecticut, Hawaii and California.


http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/February/19/local/stories/01local.htm