Myspace: A Place for Predators?

With all the positive traffic brought to sites with the Internet, you have to wonder how much of that traffic is a bad thing. Everyone has heard of Myspace, but how many people truly know the users of myspace?

Myspace.com is a social networking website that is designed to help you meet new people. While many people might think this is good, the truth is almost exactly opposite. For every advantage the Internet brings us - A disadvantage rises.

In recent news, Child Predators are using Myspace.com not only as a social networking website, but as a grounds for picking up their next victims. With the availability of information on Myspace, there is not much difficulty involved in locating a specific person just by viewing their page, or profile.

Some might say, "Why would a predator come after me? I shouldn't have anything to worry about."

Although Myspace gives you a sense of security, if any person was determined to physically locate you, they could very well do so. New features on Myspace allow users to "hide" their profile from outsiders and strangers.

"I believe this addition provides a false sense of security. Kids are going on this website, and just posting their information pretty much everywhere", Anna Warren, 28 says. "Nowadays, kids feel free to post contact information in bulletins and on the homepage of their profiles."

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On the other side of the debate, Myspace does have its share of advantages. For one, it allows friends to interact on the internet, and provides a semi-secure environment to do so. The convenience of being able to visit someones page and leave them a quick note is great.

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So why ruin the fun?

There is no need to. Kids and young adults should follow a few basic rules that can keep the bad guys off their backs. Here are a few rules I tell my kids, and I believe following them should ensure their experience on the Internet will be safe.

- Never give out contact information - There is no need. Why do people need to know that you live in a certain neighborhood. If any friends truly need to know your address, they should be able to call you, or at least ask you in person.

- Strange person message you? - Simply don't talk to them. If you have a feeling that a person is up to no good - usually - they aren't.

- Never meet someone you've met online in person - This should be a no-brainer. I can't even tell you how many bad possibilities can come out of this. Remember, there are people out there that are on a mission to hurt others. If someone has targeted you, they will do anything they need to get you under their control. This might include pretending to be someone they're not, or even bribing you with a certain offer.

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With that said, there is no reason why you should no allow your kids on these websites. If you trust them enough to follow those 3 basic rules, they should have no trouble at all. The Internet was designed to be a safe place, so lets do everything we can to keep it that way. ~