MySpace sued again over child safety

I always think ultimate responsibility lies with parents.

MySpace, however, owes some duty to the parents since they are targeting kids. My neighbor's girls come over and want to use my computer to access their MySpace. I asked them how they managed to get an account since neither of them are old enough and they don't have a computer at home.

At school, they said. I said they couldn't use it here unless I talked to their mom first. They became very quiet.

Haven't made up my mind whether to rat them out. Maybe I'll casually ask her what she thinks about kids and the computer just to see what she says.

If it's happening with those two girls (and my teen grandkids who are old enough but I'll bet their mom knows nothing about it), it's certainly happening with many others.

MySpace (and others like it) needs either tighter control on who is allowed to join or a way to keep the predators away.

I have a MySpace account which I rarely use. The people I've never heard of who ask to be my "friends" could be anybody and for all they know I could be lying about my entire profile.

Reply

In my humble opinion, it's up to the parents to regulate their own children's computer time and use. There's no reason for all Myspace users to be 'policed' just because some parents can't keep tabs on their children's computer usage or teach them not to talk to strangers online. This is just another example of what happens when parents become neglectful and uninvolved with their children's lives. Quite silly to sue MySpace, again, in my own humble opinion. But I guess MySpace can afford to be their scapegoat. Still doesn't make it right.

Reply

Parents responsibility. Period.

Reply

Of course parents have a responsibility to monitor their children's use of the internet but because of the speed of communication and because it happens right in your own home, it is virtually impossible to completely monitor your child on the internet unless you stay right in the same room and have a view of the screen. I don't know any parents who can do this. Therefore, I think MySpace has some responsibilty. In fact, I think MySpace bears a lot of responsiblity and should be doing a better job.

Reply

There are extra security measure that can be used on Myspace. My 15-year-old sister has a myspace and when other users click to add her as a friend they must type in her correct last name in order to be granted access, and even still she must approve them.

The problem is not with Myspace. Teenagers are lying on their profiles to say they're 18 or older to get around security and protection meausures. My mom actively checks my sister's myspace, and anyone she is talking to by Instant Messanger to make sure she is talking to approved friends and not getting into trouble. She doesn't like MySpace because she says it's too open, but knows that teenagers will do what they want anyways and she would rather be able to monitor my sisters behavior than try to catch her sneaking around her rules.

It's the parents responsibility to keep tabs on their children. It's hard to do with the internet, but by sitting them down and voicing their concerns and coming up with a plan that is acceptable by both parties, it's effective.

Reply

I think it is a shared responsibility between Myspace and the parents. However, there is only so much a website can do, and I feel myspace has done its fair share and that this blame falls more on the parents of these teenagers. It seems like these parents are avoiding taking responsibility for their mistakes.
And what were these parents doing while their kids were online looking for love?
What's missing in the kids life that they are trying to replace with internet dating at such a young age? And what was going on in these family's lives that they were too busy to take care of and to watch their own children?

Reply

I am a parent, and my child uses myspace, and I agree that its ultimately the parents responsibility.

However, there are certain things about myspace that I am displeased about. For example, the require that people under 18 enter their real age, which is fine...except that their age is posted for everyone to see, and use as to search out and target younger kids.

I have always instructed my daughter NOT to post her age....now they have no choice. We made her remove her page immediately in light of this issue.

Reply

It is absolutely ridiculous to blame myspace for kids' being approached by strangers. If those parents were that concerned why were they not blocking myspace from their computers? Why were they not monitoring what their teens wrote on their myspace pages? Why were they not talking to their kids about the dangers of misrepresenting yourself online?
In short, why are they asking myspace to parent their kids for them?
Do they care about their children or don't they?

Reply

Set the myspace profile to private and no one but friends of your choice can send you messages.
Unfortunately, I found this out the hard way after receiving graphic porn photos

Reply

It is simple to keep strangers away on myspace. Set your profile to private and only accept friend requests from people you truly know. No one can send you a message unless you choose to be their friend.
Unfortunately, I found out the hard way after I recieved graphic porn photos.

Reply

I am a firm believer that you MUST know what your children are doing. I have 6 all grown now and I knew where they were, who their friends were and what they were up to. MOther had a bad habit of dropping in where they said they were going to be. Foolproof? No but if enforced and consequences followed through on pretty efficient. The internet is absolutely no different than any other situation your child encounters. It must be policed with rules, consequences and parent plain out and out invasion of privacy. It is the parents responsibility to keep their children out of harms way, by any means necessary. That includes making sure there is not access to unacceptable sites at school and no computer use at friend's home. Sorry. My job to keep them safe.

Reply

It's just a bunch of lawyers trying to shakedown, Myspace for money. If people allows there children to use the Internet,
it should be the responsibility of the parents, not the web site.

If the lawyers want to go after someone, it should be the violator themselves!

Reply

I feel it's the parents responsibility to keep in eye on their children. they should tell their children that they can only have family and friends from school on their friends list and the parents should go on the myspace with their children and check things out at lest 2 times a week. ultimate responsibility lies with parents...

Reply

The sad response to anyone who thinks the responsibility all rests with the parents is this... most kids access their accounts while at SCHOOL...I am a FORMER school teacher, but when i am online during the day, it is shocking to see how many students of mine are ALSO online, and when i question them via instant message, their reply is either they are in the library (therefore, unsupervised) or in class working on the computer (semi-supervised, but they shrink the box when the teacher comes near)...face it...we as parents know very little about all this stuff on computers when compared to what the teens of today know...i think MYSPACE should DEFINITELY be held accountable for images that are allowed on it as well as people gaining access to underage people... PERIOD

Reply

I have 2 teenage daughter's on MySpace, I also have a MySpace page. I have a page, so I can monitor my girls. Making sure their pictures are appropriate and keeping tabs on everything they do on MySpace. I believe that the PARENTS should be doing the parenting, NOT MySpace! If the parents were keeping tabs on their kids, and the kids knew it...I'm sure that they'd be more careful on what they were doing online in ANY forum. As far as kids getting to MySpace while in school. My kids can only access sites the school allows all other sites are locked out. While kids are in school, the teachers are responsible for the kids, NOT MySpace.

Reply

I think that it is the parents Responsibility, You have to know what you child is doing, I know i watch my Kid, The Cell phones, T.V. and internet, are not your Babysitters, Our computer sits in my Den which is in the middle of my house and it is the most used room, so someone is always walking in and out of the room, also I have my computer shut itself off after a certain hour and it will not log back on if It doesn't have my password, Which I change alot, so there in no nighttime use, Also i Never, Never , Never leave my Teen home alone!!!! First off , That just makes it easy for someone to try something or my Teen to let friends in and still things could happen. And Second too nmany thing in your home they could do and I'm not letting that happen!!! This is my home I pay the bills and my Kids respect what i tell them and I have Great Kids, not perfect but They are Great kids and we have fun as a family, But they always know Safety comes first!!!!

Reply

How is it MySpace's fault that these teens snuck away to meet complete strangers and got rape? MySpace didn't set up the meeting for these kids and their aggressors. They and the parents need to take responsibility for their own actions. Don't blame MySpace for their stupidity. It's the parents' responsibilties to teach their kids not to meet strangers off of the internet. These girls aren't exactly innocent either. They should've known better.

Reply

I don't see how anyone could blame Tom (myspace) and/or charge a total stranger (Tom and Myspace) with the supervision, control and safety of THEIR CHILDREN and expect HIM and not themselves to keep their children safe. They aren't his children. They belong to YOU, ME, AND THEM. If Tom has children, I am sure that he is making sure they are supervised, cared for, controlled and safe. So, stop being lazy and be parents.

I feel terrible for these girls. They must feel so abandoned by their parents.

Come on folks. Where are these girls' parents? Why weren't the paying attention? How did these girls get out to meet these men, who ended up assaulting them? Let's put the blame, where it belongs. Parents, be diligent in protecting your children. If that means no allowing them to have a myspace, then so be it, but it is your responsibility to keep your children safe, when they are using a computer in your own home to make these contacts.

Reply

Parents should have insight into their kids online activities. Destinations are not baby sitters.

My kids have their own www.imbee.com accounts. There they can do create a profile / blog / message one another. And as a parent I can get insight into all of their activities without having to stand over them at the computer.

If there were more realistic alternatives like imbee perhaps MySpace would be less attractive. Just a thought.

Reply