Warning for parents: MySpace.com

[Lorix2]

I noticed this url in my dropdown and knew it wasn't a site I frequent so I decdided to look and see what my DD13 was looking at.

She has signed on and registered as a 25 year old single female! She has not responded or initiated any posts from what I can see from her profile.

This is not a place for kids/teens, though you must be 14 y/o or older to register. (you can read all about it below in the url)

When I googled a review of the site, it made me realize she is really putting herself in danger if she gave out any personal info which from what I can tell, she did not. I'm so angry right now and it's only 7:30 am and she's in school, we are going to have a serious talk and internet will be monitored a heck of lot more closely from now on. I'm 50% to blame here.

Parents go here, you can check if you're child is registered (you can remove their profile) It was so easy, I just put in her email address and asked to forward my password to me under "forgot password" and I got it right away:

http://www.myspace.com/misc/tipsForParents.html

I'm so dissappointed and scared at the same time.

 

[KimOhio]

my DD is registered there and she is 12 but I go to it about once a day to check. Alot of her friends are on there from school like 50 of them

 

[Lorix2]

So...she's lying about her age to be a member? NOT to start a debate here, but that's ok with you?

 

[dmslush]

My dd has a place there, I also go and check it often. She has her stuff set to private where you have to be a 'friend' in order to see it. I make dd give me the websites of every place that she frequents. I also check history and do other things to keep tabs on her.

 

[tinksgirl]

My 2 oldest 19 and 15 have been on myspace for a long while,actually most kids have. I have also been on for a long while watching them and their friends i dont hide the fact that i do it in fact i created a user for myself just so i can get into all of the pics and blurbs posted.All of the younger kids around here lie about their age,it was my belief that you had to be 18 years old .When i first saw my DD page it said she was 18 with 4 peircings it made me laugh!.What i have found is myspace is a great place for them to be teens and most parents dont have a clue about their own kids computer time or daily conflicts .I have never found out something about them or any of their friends that was upsetting in fact i have learned alot about the daily conflicts and friendships of teens i have even had a heads up before my kid comes home upset about something they dont want to talk about so i dont pry.I have found the kids run alot deeper than i ever thought and we have some pretty good kids around here.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

I don't have a problem with the kids being there. I am not sure, but I believe it is a site that was started so teens could have a place to go and be among peers. I personally know a 37 yr old man who has a MySpace account. I don't like that there are middle aged adults also on MySpace.

It is sad. I guess there is no way to ban adults, and I would rather know he was 37 than have him lie and say he was 16.

 

[DVCLiz]

So...she's lying about her age to be a member? NOT to start a debate here, but that's ok with you?

Did you even read her post? I don't see ANYWHERE in the OP that could possibly indicate that she was ok with this - she labeled her post Warning to Parents, she stated she was scared and upset, and she said she and her daughter would have a serious talk as soon as she got home from school. Where in all that do you get that she's OK with this????

 

[Megster]

Did you even read her post? I don't see ANYWHERE in the OP that could possibly indicate that she was ok with this - she labeled her post Warning to Parents, she stated she was scared and upset, and she said she and her daughter would have a serious talk as soon as she got home from school. Where in all that do you get that she's OK with this????

um...lorix2 is the OP and I think she was directing her comment to KimOhio.

 

[RadioNate]

Did you even read her post? I don't see ANYWHERE in the OP that could possibly indicate that she was ok with this - she labeled her post Warning to Parents, she stated she was scared and upset, and she said she and her daughter would have a serious talk as soon as she got home from school. Where in all that do you get that she's OK with this????

Umm, your confusing posters. Lorix2 is the OP and she was responding to
KimOhio who's DD is under the 14 year old registration requirement.

As for the op. I'd be upset she used a different age (but she probablly just picked something to get around the 14 age requirement) and if she was giving out very personal info but myspace is VERY popular and as long as she is being safe (like having a private account) I wouldn't be so freaked out about it.

 

[hugsquared]

Did you even read her post? I don't see ANYWHERE in the OP that could possibly indicate that she was ok with this - she labeled her post Warning to Parents, she stated she was scared and upset, and she said she and her daughter would have a serious talk as soon as she got home from school. Where in all that do you get that she's OK with this????

I think you may have your people confused. Lorix2 is the OP and I think she was talking to the 2nd poster who said her daughter was 12 and had a space there.

 

[LoraJ]

I don't have a problem with the kids being there. I am not sure, but I believe it is a site that was started so teens could have a place to go and be among peers. I personally know a 37 yr old man who has a MySpace account. I don't like that there are middle aged adults also on MySpace.

It is sad. I guess there is no way to ban adults, and I would rather know he was 37 than have him lie and say he was 16.

I know lots of adults that have myspace accounts. I have a myspace accoutn and I am 36. I don't use it as a blog, but to access and comment on what my favorite recording artists put up there. Many actors and musicians have myspace pages. So it isn't just for teens.

Where does it say that myspace is just for teens? Adults are allowed to use it to blog too. I think tehre are a few DISers who have myspace blogs.

 

[grlpwrd]

Did you even read her post? ....

Sorry, but

.

My 14yo dd has an account there, too, and I check her blog regularly.

 

[Twigs]

I was a fill in this past Friday for my friends Bunco group and the women were talking about this site. All of the women there have children my son's age - 13. It was the first I heard about it. They were all in agreement that they didn't like it and that some of the profiles on some kids were made up by other kids. This is what really bothered a lot of them, that someone else could take a name of someone they knew and make up a profile on them. I get a daily report from AOL on every site that my son's access, and so far they have not been on it, at least not while they are here at home. But I will keep on checking. While it may be a place for them to hang out, I can see the potential for hurting others. It will be something that I am going to keep aware of.

 

[DVCLiz]

Ooops, thanks everyone!!!!!! As Emily Litella would say, nevermind.....

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I have kind of found that attempting to control teen internet use is like trying to fight smoke -- you may shoo it away from one area, but it is just gonna find a way to creep back under the door. My son had one My Space account and then I found his secret account. Not a happy night at our house that night.

I see alot of his friends out there typing stuff I know their parents aren't seeing -- I haven't ratted anybody out to their Moms yet and I won't unless I see somebody putting themselves into a position of danger. I see alot of sex, alot of really bad language -- I don't know why they all just can't sit around and read their Bibles and play Monopoly or something. It sure would make me sleep better at night.

 

[diskids2]

My DD age 14 uses myspace.com. I really don't have a problem with it at all. She was the one who showed me the site and I go back regularly to check what is going on.

To the OP, I thank you for passing this on and I would be upset as well if my DD had registered as a 25 year old single female. Good luck with your talk. It is also possible (ok I'm just trying to get some calmness going on for you) that she didn't realize what she was doing when she registered as the 25 year old. I would look at her entire site and see what she has on it, her pictures, responses to the other questions, etc.


Good luck again.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

I'm a bit confused. You seem more upset by the fact she is browsing myspace.com than the fact she registered as a 25 year old.

 

[Free4Life11]

Part of me finds this HILARIOUS! I can't just picture someone registering as a 25-year-old single woman.

At the same time I was so angry when I found my sisters Xanga complete with her FULL NAME on it. My mom somehow found out about them and was FURIOUS. My sister told me about it...not a pretty night. My dad was so angry and my parents demanded they be shut down immediately!

Now my sister has one again, but she hardly updates it and it is pretty tame. I won't rat her out but if she starts putting questionable stuff in it you can be sure my parents will know about it.

 

[jamzots]

OMG!!!! OMG!!!! OMG!!!!!

I never even heard of this before until this thread. Checked for my innocent baby boy and sure enough!!! His 13 year old self has 2 accounts. 1 as a 20 y.o. straight male and another as a 17 y.o. straight male. He doesn't have his pic up yet. THANK GOD>> All these people are listed and they have pics up of themselves as his "friends". Some of them I know, but some I don't. Funny thing is my best friends son pic is up as a 18 y.o. male, he is only 11. Apparently DS signed up and did all of this on my baby son's Christening Day!! I did sign up for an account for myself just so I can check out what he is doing and who he is associating with. Don't flame me but I don't know if I will confront him or not yet. Kinda like the fact that he doesn't know that I know, and I can spy on him now. I agree with the cursing, the sex talk, ect. not called for, but if my sweet innocent Son is talking like this than I want to know about it. Did I say OMG????

 

[allie&mattsmom]

How do you check to see if your child has a profile?