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When we were kids, our moms worried about our safety around strangers. We were told never to talk to strangers, take things from strangers, or get in the car with a stranger. But with advancement in technology, a new generation of children has arisen in which talking with a stranger face to face is only one of a parent's concerns.
Now, one of the cool things for kids to do is to start up an online personal account about themselves. One popular site is MySpace, where both adults and kids can create pages that list their favorite songs, foods, and activities, as well as connect with friends by posting on each other's sites. In theory, such a site is a fantastic idea-it keeps kids busy and entertained, and means the phone line won't always be tied up with chatting kids! The Internet, with its endless supply of information and space, can be a great communication tool for kids, but it can also be a danger.
Recently, MySpace has taken a lot of heat for its lax security policies. There have been several cases of young girls who were sexually assulted by older men they met on MySpace. Such incidents have caused MySpace to up its security measures, preventing adults from sending messages to children under 16 unless they already know the child's last name. But the site does not require a person to prove their age, so anyone could sign up to be any age the choose! I don't know about you, but as the mother of a thirteen-year-old girl and twelve-year-old boy, MySpace's security changes don't make me feel any more comfortable letting my children loose to create their own personal pages!
Other websites, though less popular than MySpace, provide tighter security measures that can help a parent to relax. Imbee is a personal space designed for both children (between the ages of 8 and 14) and their parents. Though the site is free, parents must provide a credit card number in order to ensure that an adult is supervising the child's page. It also allows different levels of supervision, so that a parent can choose just how much freedom to communicate the child can have. One disavantage of such restrictions is that kids can only be friends with other kids if they know their full name and membership profile name. However, it does guarentee that strangers won't be randomly contacting your child!
In a communication age, it is important for our children to learn how to use the Internet. However, having a webpage with personal information that anyone can access is unsafe for children, who may be unable to accurately judge the character of people with whom they communicate. Parents need to step in and make sure that your child is not being put in a vulnerable position. It's okay if you don't feel your child should have a webpage at all. Do what makes you feel comfortable as a parent. But all us parents need to be making sure that our children are staying safe.
Image from: AceSpy.com