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MySpace Child Safety
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Perhaps the biggest thing to hit the Internet in the last few years has been the rise of social networking websites. These sites allow anyone to build a home page within seconds, connect with like minded individuals who enjoy the same music, movie and television shows and plan events both on a local, national and global scale. The problem, however, is that sometimes online predators can seek out young victims and lure them into dangerous real life meetings. MySpace has been at the forefront of the social networking craze and they offer a wide range of security features and child protection barriers that can keep your tween or teen safe when they go online. Here are just a few of the MySpace child safety features you can use.
First off, MySpace will not let anyone under the age of 14 have their own page. The site was originally designed for adults to keep in contact with each other, but when the popularity of social networking sites happened, the obvious appeal to teenagers was realized. Make sure your child is honest about their age on their MySpace profile. If they are younger than 14 and they create a fake profile stating that their age is 14 or older, they will have their account deleted. As an adult, you can have pictures of your under-14 year old children on your site, but they can’t have their own page. MySpace child safety begins with this first and important vital step.
Make sure your teenager understands that MySpace is a public space. Although there are reminders of this during sign up, many teens simply click through it so they can begin building their own page. Never allow your teen to post things like their phone number, address, what school they go to or any other kind of personal information. You can also limit the number of pictures they post of themselves. It is also a good idea to make sure you know the password for your teen’s MySpace page so you can check up on it on a regular basis and remove things you don’t feel are appropriate. Along with the built in MySpace child safety features, a parent needs to remain vigilant.
As a MySpace account holder, you can add anyone you like to your friend’s list. It is a good idea for any parent concerned with MySpace child safety to clear any friend additions with them first, especially if that addition is an adult. When you make someone a friend on MySpace, they can see your profile and any of the pictures that are uploaded to it. A teen’s friend list should only include close, immediate friends and family members.
Finally, MySpace has a quick and easy way to report hate speech and intolerant communication. On every profile page, there is a button you can click on to report hate speech or any kind of speech that makes you feel uncomfortable and the moderators at MySpace will look at it. If a person has a history of such speech, their profile will be deleted and, if necessary, their IP address will be traced and reported to the authorities. It is important to know that teens themselves are a crucial part of any Internet child safety.
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