Where are your Children Hanging Out Online?
MYSPACE is growing rapidly.
Over the past several months there has been a rapid growth of websites for teenagers to post personal information about themselves. These sites go beyond Instant Messenger, Chat Rooms and Blogs, in allowing the individuals to provide identifying information (name, location, age, interests, etc.) and allowing the posting of photos. Most children and young adults, who use these sites, do so to meet new friends and have electronic conversations.
Unfortunately, as with any available activity, there are those that use these sites for inappropriate reasons. Some use it to bully, intimidate and harass others. Some create pages for people they dislike, posting hurtful information and photos. Some uses list themselves as older (or younger) to reach out to a different group, often posting photos of themselves that might not be considered appropriate. Most dangerous are the predators, who scan these sites to identify and contact children. They use the personal information provided by the user to sound like a great friend or soul mate and then set up a meeting, which often results in significant criminal behavior and harm to the child.
More and more of our students at Ponca are accessing and posting photos to the website, www.myspace.com. I encourage you to look at the www.infospace.com site and become familiar with the site. I also encourage to read the articles at the web links listed below and to discuss the issue with your child.
If you have any questions or need assistance please feel free to contact me at (402) 755-4245.