Children on MySpace

From LoveToKnow Kids

All parents need to be concerned about Internet safety, especially when it concerns children on MySpace.

Children on MySpace: A Growing Trend

If you’re still struggling to read your email, MySpace may seem like a technological mystery. However, every parent needs to understand how this popular website works.

Basically, MySpace is a social networking site where people from around the world can go to meet others who share similar interests. Members create profiles with their name, town, age, interests, and favorite books or movies. They can post photos or blog entries and become “friends” with the site’s other members. At last count, there were more than 100 million active MySpace members—including both teenagers and adults.

To learn more about MySpace, check out the following articles:

Understanding the Risks

While MySpace continues to grow in popularity, the presence of children on MySpace does create legitimate concerns for parents. For example:

MySpace has become a hunting ground for sexual predators. Because of the site’s popularity with teenagers, registered sex offenders are now using MySpace to search for victims.
Criminals are using MySpace to steal the identities of unsuspecting members. Victims of identity theft find it difficult to apply for loans, receive a credit card, or obtain certain types of employment. Children are prime targets for identity theft because the crime is usually not discovered until the victim reaches adulthood.
Teens are using MySpace to meet people who promote illegal or harmful behaviors. Mixed in with pages about pop music and horror movies, there are MySpace areas dedicated to endorsing drug use, eating disorders, and self-mutilation.
Young children are accessing portions of the site intended for adults only. MySpace rules prohibit children under 14 from creating an account and assign restricted accounts to members who are 14 or 15 years old. However, it’s a common practice for children to lie about their age to avoid the MySpace security features.

Staying Safe

If you decide to allow your children on MySpace, it’s important to discuss the basics of online safety. Today’s kids are more technologically-savvy than ever before, but they are still children who feel invincible. As a parent, it’s your responsibility to make them aware of the risks of MySpace. Use the following points as the basis for your discussion:

MySpace is a public area. Even if your child uses MySpace just to communicate with friends from school, other people can still see his/her posted information. Children should avoid posting personal data such as phone numbers, email addresses, or the name of the school they attend.
Once something is posted online, it never really disappears. Technology has made it possible to access previous versions of nearly every website--even if the content has been deleted. Make sure your children understand that photos and blog entries that seem funny now might come back to embarrass them in the future.
People aren’t always honest. Talk to your children about a time when a friend from school has lied to them. Make sure they understand that people they meet on the Internet, like the people they meet in real life, may not always be truthful.

If you would like to learn more about the safety of children on MySpace, the following resources may help answer your questions: