Myspace safety
is no joke, but many of
us don't make sure our kids are practicing safety. It does not matter
if it's Myspace, Facebook, Xanga or Hi5 the dangers are the same on
them all and it won't change until we the parents take an active role
in our childrens internet safety.
Have you been on Myspace and
searched the profiles? Have you seen what is on this site? If you have
thats great you should know some of the Myspace dangers. If you have
not I think it's time you check it out.
I want you to follow the link below, it takes you to the
websites search function. Now in the box that says "
find a school" enter
your childs school
your country and your state and then click find. A new window will open
giving you choices of schools it has found. Now pick yours from the
list and shortly a screen will appear showing you results.
Browse
thru the results clicking on the results and review the peoples
entries you might even find out your kids are on there, use the back
button to return to the main page to review more.
Really look at the pages and the information contained in them. You
will find everything from names to addresses even phone numbers and
some of the pictures you will find well I think I have said enough
these people are not using myspace safety. Click here to go to
myspace.
Welcome back right now I only have one thing to tell you and I have
said it before.
Everything
you post or upload to the internet can be viewed by millions
of people
and once you post or upload it you can never get rid of it. By
posting I mean written content and uploading I mean pictures.
You
as a parent need to somehow get this across to your children, for some
reason they think because they are behind their computer monitors and
in their home they are safe.
If you allow them to have or keep a myspace account. You should set
down some myspace safety rules.
Myspace
safety should be practiced by everyone using the web site.
First and
foremost you should have their user name and password so you can review
their page from time to time.
Second a recording and filtering
software needs to be installed on your computer so their activities
while online can be reviewed, This is not to spy on them but rather to
keep you informed of their safe surfing habits.
If your
daughter is chatting with her friend about a boy she likes you don't
need to read it, however if a stranger is asking her personal questions
and she is replying wouldn't you want to know about it? You can find
information on software here.
Third
all profiles should be set to private. This allows no one to view your
details and only the people you allow into your friend list can see
your page.
Fourth do not add strangers to your friend list. Remember not everyone
is who they say they are.
Fifth
do not arrange to meet someone you met online in real life. If you do
make sure they are a buddy, make sure to talk with an adult before you
meet them and always take someone with you to meet them. Read about the experience of one girl here.
Children
need to understand what they post can come back to haunt them later in
life or even hurt them now. Posting inappropriate pictures or stating
their sexual preference could really hurt them later in life.
The
kids posting addresses and phone numbers are not using myspace safety
rules and are giving every internet
predator out there the chance to come after them. Think about all the
information you read about each person when you viewed their page. Now
think like a internet predator you know their school, what they look
like, their likes, their dislikes, where they hang out and who their
friends are. It's like a smorgassboard of opportunities for the
internet predator.
An open line of communication is key to
keeping our children safe online. If they have a myspace account review
it with them and if anything is not appropriate explain to them why it
isn't. If that doesn't work try this.
Ask them if they would walk up to a middle
aged man / woman in the mall and tell them the same information they
have put on their page. In most cases they would not want to do that.
All
of the social networking sites Facebook, Xanga, Hi5 and Myspace dangers
are real and if we want our children safe we must become
involved in
their lives. Remember we are Net Wise Parents and we are an active
well informed force in our kid's
internet safety.
