Quote From: flthomcatSadly, MYSPACE gets all the bad press becuase it earns it. When you have the largest website on the Internet when it comes to a teen following, there are going to be a large number of problems. Some of the problems are high profile (pedophiles, rape, dangerous affairs, etc) so they get the press.
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Our 13-yr-old is not allowed on MYSPACE and never will be. There is absolutely NO REASON a young person needs to be "talking" with strangers. We wouldn't allow her to talk to a stanger on the street, so why would we allow her to "hook up with" a faceless, nameless identity behind a screen.
Our daughter is not alone. Many of her classmates are also barred from sites like MYSPACE. These teen girls and boy e-mail EACHOTHER and go to more innocent sites together. It can be done and it can be great for the teen!
It's time parents wake up to ALL the dangers on the web. Speaking to strangers (even on the Internet) is not safe and not good for teens. It's simply too risky. As parents, we are supposed to minimize that risk!
My hubby is a federal officer and knows all too well who is lurking on MYSPACE and other similar sites. If the general pubic knew what he knows (and sees too often), they would monitor their children MUCH more carefully.
As someone who has a Myspace profile, I just have to say that its not the site's fault for what people CHOOSE to do on there. And like the other poster, I'm sick of people blaming things on the site in general. Are there lots of creeps on there like any other site? Absolutely! BUT, there are also a lot of good, honest people on there who are looking for new friends, to reconnect with old friends, stay in contact with family members, find love (which is not wrong to do), even networking for jobs. Musicians, film makers & comedians use it to promote their work & gain audiences. I myself, have met some very nice people from that site, on & off it. With that said, I dont think Myspace is a place for someone under 16. I hate to say it but, I even have cousins on there who are younger than that & I wonder what the hell they're doing on there & its sad to say that some of their parents aren't watching what they're doing, so I like to check up on them. Anyway, most people/parents don't know that Myspace has a number of ways that you can be safer on there.
*YOU control WHAT info is on your profile
*YOU control WHO can look at your profile & pictures, by making it PRIVATE
*YOU control WHO can add you as a friend
*YOU control WHAT comments you want to accept
*IF someone starts harassing you, YOU can REPORT & BLOCK them
There may be more that isnt coming to mind... but the thing is that, some people choose not to use those features & then IF, GOD FORBID, something bad happens, they're quick to blame someone else or blame the site without looking at their part in it or what they could've done to be safer. This isn't the case for EVERYONE, but certainly enough people. People need to start being responsible for THEIR OWN actions.
Also, I'm tired of people saying/implying that the Internet is the only place where you can come into contact with creeps, especially creeps who pretend to be honest people. I hear people saying all the time that the net isnt the way to meet someone, specifically someone honest & decent because anyone can be charming on the net. And yes, anyone can be charming on the net, however, you can meet someone who pretends to be charming & decent anywhere... on the street, in the grocery store, working for charity, there are even some cases where others meet those kinds of people in CHURCH (no offense to anyone, just saying). And by the age of 16, you should very well know what's right, wrong, appropriate & inappropriate.