Dangers of Myspace For Your Child

by David Walsh

If you've never heard of MySpace, you probably don't have teenagers. If you do have an adolescent son or daughter and still don't know of MySpace, you definitely should. That's because practically every teen in America is a member. The Internet site has surged in popularity in the last year, going from a mostly underground site for kids in the know to the Internet's fourth most popular site, surpassing even Google in terms of monthly hits. The site has over 51 million members, mostly in their teens and twenties. Simply put, MySpace is an Internet giant. So what, exactly, is MySpace? Here's one answer: it's an online community where users post profiles, collect the profiles of their friends, view the profiles of their friends' friends, share music, and take part in blogs. Here's another answer: it's the modern day version of the corner drug store where kids go to socialize, express themselves, try out new identities and, well, hang out. And here's the problem: the site and its young visitors are largely unmonitored.

Lately, I've been getting more and more calls about the site's pitfalls. Like any unsupervised electronic environment, MySpace has been a conduit for cyber-bullying. Being cruel and mean is easier online, since such behavior is relatively consequence-free and without the real-world social cues that keep some of our worst instincts in check.

In addition, because MySpace is the perfect place for kids to try out new identities, some kids end up lying about their age, profession, level of experience, etc. I heard about one kid whose profile made a big deal about all the hard drugs he liked to do. When confronted, he admitted that he'd been lying, but he didn't see what was wrong with that. He said, "Of course, I lied. That's how you make a good profile. It's what everybody does." His mother is left wondering whether her son is lying in MySpace or lying to her. What's more, lewd pictures, graphic language and mature themes are the norm on most of the site, which seems all but inevitable when teens rub shoulders with young adults in their twenties.

An even more serious problem with MySpace is the access it provides to sexual predators. While such cases are extremely rare, the number of tragic crimes has started to climb. Unfortunately, any unmonitored online community poses a danger to naive kids.

To MySpace's credit, the site has an extensive list of safety tips. And to the extent that they can, the people who administer the site monitor profiles, especially with an eye to keeping anyone under 14 off the site. The site can be a great place for a young person to hang out, just as the corner drug store was back in the day.

We can't count on MySpace to protect OurKids. We need to talk to our kids about the dangers of this and any online environment. We need to make sure they're not divulging personal information that could be used by predators. We need to let them know we're interested in what they do when they leave the house, even if they're still in the living room.