Parents left a workshop at Eastshore Elementary School in Irvine, California, feeling anxious. This meeting did not address drug use or alcohol consumption among teenagers, but rather focused on virtual community websites.
Although the issue of Internet safety has been discussed for many years, the new wave of “social networking” has overshadowed chat rooms and left many parents concerned. Websites like MySpace.com, Livejournal.com, and Xanga.com are encouraging teens to post photos, diaries, music files, and share personal information more effectively than any previous online interaction.
MySpace, founded in 2003, is the largest social networking site with 60 million registered users. Because it does not restrict membership, such sites can attract unwelcome guests, including many child sexual predators. Last month, the West Milford police arrested a 21-year-old man for extorting a 15-year-old girl he met through MySpace. Last week, two men from New York and Pennsylvania were also charged with having sexual relations with two girls aged 11 and 14 whom they met on the MySpace site.
“Am I trying to scare everyone? I just want parents to be aware of the looming dangers,” asserted Colm F. Connolly, a lawyer in Delaware.
| “Social networking” is formed when a group initiates a message inviting their acquaintances to join the site. New members will repeat the process and create a vast interconnected network. The first social networking site was SixDegrees.com, launched in 1997. However, it wasn’t until 2003, with the rise of Friendster, that such sites became truly popular. Currently, there are over 200 social networking sites, and last year, MySpace even surpassed Google in terms of traffic. Social networking is also becoming a strategic development for the Internet, as in March 2005, Yahoo launched Yahoo 360, and in July 2005, News Corporation acquired MySpace. (Wikipedia) |
On the other hand, Parry Aftab, Director of the non-profit organization Wired Safety, remains optimistic: “People are overreacting. They feel like the ‘boogeyman’ is lurking right behind the door on the Internet. So far, that risk has not really materialized.”
Moreover, when parents try to control access content, they often end up harming their children. For many, social networking sites are simply a pure means of communication. Sam, 14, the son of Lester, stated that most of his friends on MySpace provide limited personal information and are cautious around strangers.
“Adults are taking unnecessary actions. Two years ago, they were angry with chat rooms, and now they have the same attitude towards MySpace,” Sam said. “If someone gets kidnapped and happened to have participated in this site, it will suddenly become a big issue.”
Erica Hoegh, Principal of Eastshore Elementary School, also advises everyone to remain calm. “In the 1820s, people boycotted novels, and a few decades ago, they opposed Rock ‘n’ Roll music. But then the fear will pass, and everything will return to normal,” Hoegh reassured.
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