Parents Guide to MySpace.com
From Marcy
Zitz,
Website http://familyinternet.about.com/od/chattingsafety/a/myspace.htm
MySpace Isn't A Place
You may not have heard about the "secret" society called MySpace. Almost everyone in school has a MySpace page that lists everything about themselves and chances are your child has been encouraged to create one. T'weens are told how to bypass the rules so they can get a page even though they aren't old enough. They are a fun way to share information about yourself and post pictures but they can be dangerous for kids, including teens.
About MySpace
MySpace allows you or your child to create a place for you to share what you
are thinking with the world and photos. It is very popular with kids and most
kids have a page.
MySpace Requirements
All that is required to get a MySpace page is an email address to sign up. You
also need to certify that you are at least 14 years of age. Most kids just say
that they are 14 if they aren't. MySpace does not want children under the age
of 14 and if they find out they are they will discontinue the service. MySpace
tries to police it but they have no way of knowing if their member is actually
14, this based on the date of birth that the scriber enters when they sign
up to myspace. If you discover
that your child has one, you can ask to have your child's MySpace page removed.
Privacy and MySpace
Most kids make their MySpace page private where only friends they designate are
allowed to see their page. This is safer than allowing it to be private but it
also makes it difficult for parents to keep track of what they are posting and
most kids don't want their parents to see what they are posting.
What Is Posted On MySpace
MySpace makes it easy to post all about you. The first thing you do is post a
profile with your name, town, interests, school, sexual orientation, books and
movies you like, who your heroes are and much more. A popular topic is to post
questionaires on the MySpace page so they can share very specific information
about themselves. Your child can easily put everything about them online.
The Dangers of MySpace
Your child can easily post enough information about themselves to be abducted.
An online predator looking at your child's page has enough information to
arrive at your door or the playground that your child frequents. You must teach
your child the dangers of posting too much information and you must follow up
to make sure they aren't posting too much information.
Another problem is that children tend to post things that should never be put in print. They say things like they want to burn down the school or they want to kill so-and-so with not literally meaning it but threats like that could be taken seriously.
More than just sexual predators are using Myspace for an outlet. Recently it has been noticed that Myspace is
also being used as an outlet for gang members to reach and recruit other kids. This activity can be seen in the group
listing. In
MySpace is for kids over 14 years of age. There is sexually explicit information on the site posted by other users and the profile questions that users create is geared towards adults.
How To Protect Your Child
The main safety rule is that they must not post too much identifying
information especially their last name. You should not trust your child to post
too much information though even if you speak to them daily about it because
children always think that it will never happen to them and they aren't in
danger. Besides, their friends tell them that it is safe and often children
think their friends are more Internet savvy than you. If your child wants to
have a MySpace page you need to have access to it. When you explain to them
that there are very real dangers, you can make the rule that if they want to
use the computer, they will have to share the access information. If you feel
that you can't do this, you can install monitoring software to see what they are
seeing without them knowing it. You can also install filtering software that will stop them from
visiting the site.
MySpace Safety Tips
MySpace provides Safety Tips and Tips for Parents that you should read.
Tom from MySpace is Everyone's Friend
If your child already has a MySpace page and you visit it for the first time,
do not be alarmed at their 29 year old friend named Tom, as he is the creator
of MySpace and appears as a friend to everyone.
If you have any question or concerns
that the Lakeland Police Department can help you with, please contact:
Det. Dan Jonas - Email: Daniel.Jonas@Lakelandgov.net - Phone: 863-834-2512
(This article can be viewed in its full
content at http://familyinternet.about.com/od/chattingsafety/a/myspace.htm)