MySpace may face legislative crackdown

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myspace.com: I know how difficult kids can be when they want to get their way. I have to put my down just about every minute of the day and mine are only 7 and 9. They are already computer savvy and I have wowed to never let them have computers in their rooms unguarded. So we keep all the computers set up out in the family room which is connected to the kitchen so I can keep an eye on them. But, you know what, you can't keep an eye on them every minute. Gibby550 already stated that her daughter signed up for myspace.com at a friend's house, so she has access totally out of the realm of what this legislation would cover, and what she herself as a mother can cover. And, although I think their hearts are in the right place with their ideas for legislatiion, etc., it's too late to try to totally repair the dike. The dike has burst and now we have to deal with it. The best thing a parent can do is learn as much as you can and then turn around and try to teach it to your kid right away. And I mean in the right way, with respect for your kid and his or her intelligence. A kid is going to rebel. W all did it. I shudder to think of some of the chances I myself took. Myspace in itself is not satan. And if your kid uses it right he or she can get a lot out of it without harm. But, they have to know how to protect themselves. You have to teach your kids to never give the slightest bit of personal info that would ever give away their location to anyone, especially in their public profile. This includes simple things like the name of their high school, the mall where they hang out, their birthdate, their personal webpage link, and even the description of what they look like. Anybody can go on myspace, go into the profile search, type in the city where they are and find any number of specific things, including the full names of kids. It all depends on what they have listed in their profile and who they give access to. (And believe me, kids will put in anything, sexy crap, anything! It makes me cringe and I am no prude believe me!) Then the predator can go to the places listed and find them. It is as simple as that. Myspace can be fun for kids if they limit contact in the options setup to only people they already know in person and you ask her to promise to never ever ever ever ever go in person to see someone they have met on the internet. Myspace is not the only scary place out there. For example, if you have instant messaging on yahoo or aol you can get IM'd a billion times, from people scanning profiles which kids have agreed in the options to make public, then the predator just waits until they are online, bingo, sends an IM, "hey I saw n ur profile u hangout at the Grt Mall, i bet i have seen u there, what do u look like?" or even more subtle or sneaky ways of first getting their trust. It's a game for them. They might try a hundred times, or a thousand, what else do they have to do, until they get that one kid. Bickering about whether or not you have the upper hand with a teenager is not really going to do what is necessary to actually save her.

I have some articles I have been saving about certain things so I can keep up on things to warn my sons about. I will try to post some of that info here for other parents to read.

Yes, I have to say though, I don't think it is right for myspace to go against a parents' wishes. 15 is not the age of majority and they are pushing it really. If a parent of a minor calls them up with a complaint on a minor, and they don't act, and actually have a policy against it, they had better be prepared for some major lawsuit if anything actually happens to that kid!

I also think it is odd the way Republicans spout off on not having government interfere in people's life with laws, etc. But then at every turn they want to jump right in and create laws about stuff they want to interfere about. I suppose when it comes to kids it is a touchy subject. But, I would rather see them getting as worked up about funding preschool for all kids. School has changed since I was a kid and it is one year harder now. What used to be taught in 1st grade is now taught in Kindergarten. They expect that everyone has attended preschool and the curriculum is based upon this expectation. I am a stay at home mom right now and we couldn't afford preschool. My children both suffered because of it. Now, that is something that would really help kids!; Posted by: zengirl41@... Posted on: 07/13/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use