Question for parents regarding MySpace

[momrek06]

I have never been able to figure out why MySpace gets so much bad media- apparently the press will do anything for a story.

I DO feel that MYSPACE is full of allot of predators and porn kings and pervs.

This is NOT about the PRESS...!! Have you watched any of the TV Show Dateline NBC on "To Catch a Predator"...at all? These creeps (all allot OLDER than they say they are) are preying on youngsters, talking to them, asking to meet them, hooking up with them. Lying about themselves 24/7. This all created due to the fact children are being victimized almost daily by the CREEPS on MYSPACE. In MA, just this week, there was a man from Georiga that became friendly with a teen from Bourne, MA. The Georgia man sent him money and a plane ticket. The teen flew down to Georgia and the man picked him up, drove him to his house in Georgia and IMMEDIATELY started abusing this youngster. The teen was able to TEXT to his parents and the police were dispatched to the Georgia house and SAVED the teen from this CREEP!

Allot of these youngsters (for whatever reason) are lonely, depressed and are reaching out to others online and not being careful and are becoming Victims of these CRAZED predators.

It is MYSPACE that brought the TWO together in the first place and as far as the Media/Press is concerned...they SIMPLY reported it...I am confused as to why YOU are blaming the MEDIA for reporting an incident like the one I stated here...Wouldn't you be more apt to BLAME MYSPACE?? If NOT for MYSPACE, these two would have never come to know each other...!

PRESS???

 

[Pugdog007]

I DO feel that MYSPACE is full of allot of predators and porn kings and pervs.

This is NOT about the PRESS...!! Have you watched any of the TV Show Dateline NBC on "To Catch a Predator"...at all? These creeps (all allot OLDER than they say they are) are preying on youngsters, talking to them, asking to meet them, hooking up with them. Lying about themselves 24/7. This all created due to the fact children are being victimized almost daily by the CREEPS on MYSPACE. In MA, just this week, there was a man from Georiga that became friendly with a teen from Bourne, MA. The Georgia man sent him money and a plane ticket. The teen flew down to Georgia and the man picked him up, drove him to his house in Georgia and IMMEDIATELY started abusing this youngster. The teen was able to TEXT to his parents and the police were dispatched to the Georgia house and SAVED the teen from this CREEP!

Allot of these youngsters (for whatever reason) are lonely, depressed and are reaching out to others online and not being careful and are becoming Victims of these CRAZED predators.

It is MYSPACE that brought the TWO together in the first place and as far as the Media/Press is concerned...they SIMPLY reported it...I am confused as to why YOU are blaming the MEDIA for reporting an incident like the one I stated here...Wouldn't you be more apt to BLAME MYSPACE?? If NOT for MYSPACE, these two would have never come to know each other...!

PRESS???

While I don't know about this case you are citing, I've watched many of the Dateline stings and they are all busted from chatrooms, not myspace.

I think those that are adamantly against it don't fully understand how it works or the way it can be set to private. For those that are meeting predators on myspace, the following applies:

1. they don't have their space set as private
2. they are accepting friend requests from persons they do not know
3. their parents are not monitoring it

I would be very concerned with parents that forbid it. I'm serious when I say that ALL the kids I know have them, as well as facebook and livejournal accounts. If you think your kids are not doing this somewhere, you are naive. It's best to allow it, but be smart about it and monitor it. Some kids I know from the high school have some very racey pages. Obviously these parents don't have a clue and if asked they would probably say, "oh no my kids aren't allowed to do that!" Think again!!!

 

[ChrisFL]

I DO feel that MYSPACE is full of allot of predators and porn kings and pervs.

This is NOT about the PRESS...!! Have you watched any of the TV Show Dateline NBC on "To Catch a Predator"...at all? These creeps (all allot OLDER than they say they are) are preying on youngsters, talking to them, asking to meet them, hooking up with them. Lying about themselves 24/7. This all created due to the fact children are being victimized almost daily by the CREEPS on MYSPACE. In MA, just this week, there was a man from Georiga that became friendly with a teen from Bourne, MA. The Georgia man sent him money and a plane ticket. The teen flew down to Georgia and the man picked him up, drove him to his house in Georgia and IMMEDIATELY started abusing this youngster. The teen was able to TEXT to his parents and the police were dispatched to the Georgia house and SAVED the teen from this CREEP!

Allot of these youngsters (for whatever reason) are lonely, depressed and are reaching out to others online and not being careful and are becoming Victims of these CRAZED predators.

It is MYSPACE that brought the TWO together in the first place and as far as the Media/Press is concerned...they SIMPLY reported it...I am confused as to why YOU are blaming the MEDIA for reporting an incident like the one I stated here...Wouldn't you be more apt to BLAME MYSPACE?? If NOT for MYSPACE, these two would have never come to know each other...!

PRESS???

The same could be said for Instant Messenger programs, online forums (similar to this one) and many MANY other things, both on the internet and off of it. Calling MySpace the root of the problem is like calling car manufacturers the root of all traffic accidents. Sure they make the cars but it's the users who cause the problems. And as I mentioned before, there's 100 million members of myspace, to put that into perspective it's equal to 1/3 of the U.S. population (while knowing that there's international users as well)

From what Ive seen, the owners of MySpace are trying to make it more secure by adding new restrictions as has been discussed here, but its still up to the PARENTS to actually KNOW what their children are doing. If the kids are lonely and depressed then that's a warning sign that the PARENTS need to address, otherwise they'll have more problems, either with MySpace or without it.

 

[momrek06]

From what Ive seen, the owners of MySpace are trying to make it more secure by adding new restrictions

Exactly, I have heard this as well....and WHY do you think they NOW need to do this...because of all the incidences involving young teens meeting creeps and thinking they are really meeting someone THEIR age. Young teens are just so incredibly INNOCENT and NAIVE.

I repeat, I am NOT saying this happens to everyone on MYSPACE but it gets reported MORE than not, of horrible situations happening as a direct result of those MEETING on MYSPACE.

It is almost in the News WEEKLY!

 

[kaw1218]

Does your teen/pre-teen have a MySpace site? Do you monitor it? What are your thoughts on MySpace?

My kids are alittle young yet to worry about Myspace(7 and 10), but I know they will NOT be allowed on that site. Alot of my DH's coworkers have sites on there, and they are not PG(hey they aren't even R) Myspace has been banned in my house already.

 

[ChrisFL]

Exactly, I have heard this as well....and WHY do you think they NOW need to do this...because of all the incidences involving young teens meeting creeps and thinking they are really meeting someone THEIR age. Young teens are just so incredibly INNOCENT and NAIVE.

I repeat, I am NOT saying this happens to everyone on MYSPACE but it gets reported MORE than not, of horrible situations happening as a direct result of those MEETING on MYSPACE.

It is almost in the News WEEKLY!

Right, and there was a few years back where every week there was a report on the news of a shark attack and people asked "why are there so many attacks lately?" when in fact, overall attacks were significantly DOWN that year. The difference is media hype.

 

[momrek06]

While I don't know about this case you are citing, I've watched many of the Dateline stings and they are all busted from chatrooms, not myspace.

I think those that are adamantly against it don't fully understand how it works or the way it can be set to private. For those that are meeting predators on myspace, the following applies:

1. they don't have their space set as private
2. they are accepting friend requests from persons they do not know
3. their parents are not monitoring it

I would be very concerned with parents that forbid it. I'm serious when I say that ALL the kids I know have them, as well as facebook and livejournal accounts. If you think your kids are not doing this somewhere, you are naive. It's best to allow it, but be smart about it and monitor it. Some kids I know from the high school have some very racey pages. Obviously these parents don't have a clue and if asked they would probably say, "oh no my kids aren't allowed to do that!" Think again!!!

ITA !!! Re: Dateline: these people (teens and CREEPS) meet generally ON a site such as MYSPACE and then TAKE it off to a private chatroom that they can create on their own and talk to each other w/o anyone gaining access to their dialogue!

 

[ChrisFL]

ITA !!! Re: Dateline: these people (teens and CREEPS) meet generally ON a site such as MYSPACE and then TAKE it off to a private chatroom that they can create on their own and talk to each other w/o anyone gaining access to their dialogue!

So it never happened before 2 years ago when MySpace started? Everyone was totally safe from "creeps" before MySpace came along then?

Thats strange because I've seen things quite differently...

 

[momrek06]

So it never happened before 2 years ago when MySpace started? Everyone was totally safe from "creeps" before MySpace came along then?

Thats strange because I've seen things quite differently...

Oh, Chris: I think the Chatrooms have been around for awhile BUT I think with the inception of MYSPACE it just opened up allot more opportunities for underage youngsters/teens to come in contact with predators. Once again their innocence and naivete got them hooked up with people they should not be associating with at all.

 

[MELSMICE]

If you think your kids are not doing this somewhere, you are naive.

ITA!

My neighbor (a good friend I love dearly) had no idea that her kids had a MYSPACE account. Kept saying they wouldn't be allowed to go on there - no way, no how. She eventually found out that they each had one.

She was appauled by what she saw. She now allows them, but they are monitored.

 

[kayeandjim00]

I don't understand the big deal honestly. You can find "bad" stuff online everywhere. i think the bigger deal you make of it the bigger deal it becomes. Parents should realize they don't watch their kids every second. They go to friends houses, get online at school, etc. They might even have a myspace and you just don't know it

 

[sha_lyn]

Calling MySpace the root of the problem is like calling car manufacturers the root of all traffic accidents. Sure they make the cars but it's the users who cause the problems.

What a wonderful comparison. My space is no better/worse than any other internet site (including the DIS). If parents are doing their job correctly by monitoring their children and teaching their children about the dangers of on line predators, then there isn't a problem.

 

[momrek06]

What a wonderful comparison. My space is no better/worse than any other internet site (including the DIS). If parents are doing their job correctly by monitoring their children and teaching their children about the dangers of on line predators, then there isn't a problem.

That is an even bigger problem...parents UNAWARE of MYSPACE(and all the other sites out there) to even begin with...then not aware that their kids might be even on the site..and parents not realizing they even need to talk/discuss/warn their youngsters/teens about all that there is out there on the internet. Hopefully, more and more schools will inform and educate the children and parents today at their school meetings and open houses all about the internet and internet safety.

 

[TurboKitty]

Let's see....way, way way way, way back...when I was pregnant with dd, who is now 8, soon to be 9, I was happily active in an IRC (internet Relay Chat) room....

IRC has had some badly named rooms, to say the least. I do no, nor have I condoned all of rooms there. But I should note their existance.

No matter what the news may want you to think, this is not something new. The extent of the perversion involved.... Still not new, in anyway age regulated or monitored and may be toned down....but is not.

It's on YOU to teach your kids. Let it start with YOU. Don't ask the government to do it. The schools shouldn't have to do it. If you let the community do it, you are wrong.

When it comes to YOUR kids, you are the village leader. Let others back YOU up.

 

[mckryan]

First, the "set to private" thing is a joke -- it takes about five minutes to figure out how to get around that. Many kids lie about their ages on MySpace

It no longer goes by age. Anyone, at any age, can set their MySpace page to private.

 

[beattyfamily]

I just don't get these kinds of threads; why do those who think its harmless have to belittle those who say they don't want their kids on it?

To each their own. We're all trying to be the best parents we can, can't we support each other instead of telling each other we're naive or blind and what not.

Those who are against their kids going on to Myspace aren't insulting and picking on those who do allow it. Why can't you do the same for them?

 

[transparant]

I just don't these kinds of threads; why do those who think its harmless have to belittle those who say they don't want their kids on it?

To each their own. We're all trying to be the best parents we can, can't we support each other instead of telling each other we're naive or blind and what not.

Those who are against their kids going on to Myspace aren't insulting and picking on those who do allow it. Why can't you do the same for them?

 

[ChrisFL]

I just don't get these kinds of threads; why do those who think its harmless have to belittle those who say they don't want their kids on it?

To each their own. We're all trying to be the best parents we can, can't we support each other instead of telling each other we're naive or blind and what not.

Those who are against their kids going on to Myspace aren't insulting and picking on those who do allow it. Why can't you do the same for them?

It isnt about that. I've been told by co-workers and friends before that MySpace is a horrible site all about predators and stuff when I start to mention I have a page on it. Those who only hear what the media says think its some kind of perversion site or something when that just isnt true at all. So then Im looked at weird when i mention I have a site. Media hype has caused that.

 

[ZipaDeeDooDah]

I just don't get these kinds of threads; why do those who think its harmless have to belittle those who say they don't want their kids on it?

To each their own. We're all trying to be the best parents we can, can't we support each other instead of telling each other we're naive or blind and what not.

Those who are against their kids going on to Myspace aren't insulting and picking on those who do allow it. Why can't you do the same for them?

ITA!

 

[MrsPete]

You've posted this information on my space threads in the past, and I've asked you in the past to please explain what you mean by this. I'd like to know how to get around the private thing, because DH is very knowledgeable with computers and he can't do it. Neither can I. I'd love to know how you can do it in "five minutes".

You go through someone else's webpage -- you just click around a few times until you find the person you're looking for. My students were arguing about it in class one day, and they demonstrated how to do it. In a matter of minutes, one girl was able to access several pages that other students declared were "private". The other students were amazed that their sense of security was so completely false.

You do need a little bit of starting info: a certain high school, a certain area, or someone else's name, but it is very possible and very easy to find a private page.