Minors on Social Networking Sites

I see nothing wrong with children being on social websites. The problem occurs when the parents fail to monitor their children. Computers today have all different ways to filter how your children behave on the internet. But the bottom line is, the parents must be in control, not the kids.

George~

Social Networks Like MySpace and Facebook are Hunting Grounds for Predators

Social Networks like MySpace and Facebook are Hunting Grounds for Predators Hoping to Connect with Your Child

MySpace and Facebook are Internet sites visited by millions of minor's everyday, at these sites they post all their personal interests and personal information for the multitudes surfing these sites to view. Exchange information and socialize with people who are coming to these sites with the single minded purpose of a predator looking for prey and according to experts the incidence of children being exploited on these sites is increased by the methods of business employed by sites like MySpace and Facebook.

Experts point to the evidence of a fertile ground for child predators on the hunt for prey on these 24 hour sites that continue to grow with little or no control over who uses the sites services. This spring, MySpace, the world's largest networking site, which is owned by media giant News Corp, reported that thousand of known child predators were registered with the service at the time of the announcement. Jumping into the fray several state attorney generals immediately demanded a list of names of these predators, citing many previous cases in which predators had exploited minors they had contacted through MySpace, according to the self appointed leader of the group of state attorneys, Roy Cooper. Reacting to the call MySpace eventually decided to hand over a list of more than 7,000 names of individuals considered online predators and then immediately closed these 7,000 accounts as a second response to the demands for the list of predators.

When Trouble May Be Lurking...

While there may be no problem with your teen, you should be concerned and have a conversation with him/her if you notice the following:

1. If you know your teen has a personal homepage, especially through a social networking site, but you don’t have any idea what is on it, check it out. Make sure the homepage is allowed for minors.
   
2. Listen to the music your teen downloads and watch video clips, review anything listed as his/her favorites. If any includes inappropriate language about drugs and alcohol, or promotes dangerous behaviors, such as casual sex, violence, or drinking and driving, you should be concerned.
   
3. Check out the friends in your teen’s network and see what they are posting on their sites. If your teen’s friends have pictures of themselves at parties and everyone has a beer in their hand, chances are your teen has been to similar events.
   
4. There may be something wrong if your teen spends an excessive amount of time online or e-mailing friends, seems secretive about his/her online activities, or if the computer screen goes blank every time you walk by.

I had a myspace when it first started and it was more limited then. I think that kids underage should be given restricted access or placed in a section with others like themselves( AOL used to do this Im not sure about it now) Kids are now able to post  photos via cell phone which is scary because cybersex is more prominent now. Parents need to monitor their child's activities.

There are always pros and cons when dealing with teens and their access to the internet. However, My Space has become a sounding board for Millions of people around the world. Many teens (and adults as well) have turned to blogging as a way to air their feelings. Many have no one they feel they can turn to and this is their release. Parental monitoring is the key.

I think that these types of websites should have an age limit placed on them in order to utilize them, maybe somewhere starting at age 16.

I think it is okay as long as the material is appropriate and the parents are monitoring the sites.

well said George