Enter
MySpace with caution
By Brittney Winn
November 8, 2006 | Many MySpace members aren't aware
of who is looking at their profiles and often divulge
personal information they believe is only being viewed
by their friends.
Not only are users releasing personal information such
as their age and gender, they're also posting their
phone numbers, home addresses, class schedules and work
locations that can aid predators who are trying to track
them. "Why
Parents Must Mind MySpace," by NBC news claims MySPace
is a fantasy world for some users.
"It's a world where the kids next door can play any
role they want," the article stated. "They
may not realize everyone with internet access, including
sexual predators, may see the pictures and personal
information they post."
In BusinessWeek magazine's "Protecting
Your Kids from Cyber-Predators" states MySpace created
an algorithm last spring that identified underage users
and resulted in the elimination of 330,000 profiles.
Although MySpace doesn't allow users younger than 14
to set up an account, young teens are still finding
ways to create profiles by lying.
Utah State University student, Hilary Caldwell, said
she thinks MySpace is very deceiving. "You really don't
know if someone is who they say they are," she said.
"I do, however, think it's a good way to stay in touch
with old friends. And for some people it's a great way
to meet other people."
Tracy Doyle of the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department
agrees that MySpace can be a good way for people to
interact with each other, but it can also be very dangerous.
"I think it's a good way for teenage kids to meet other
teenage kids across the country, but there are also
negative aspects such as predators," Doyle said. Predators
are typically male and range between the ages of 20-40,
and "in the past 5 years predators have gotten older,"
he said.
Student Kaylene Pace is strongly against MySpace due
to the negative things she's heard about it.
"I heard on the radio that a lot of teen abductions
were due to sites like MySpace," Pace said. Caldwell
and Pace both said they would never allow their children
to have a MySpace account of their own.
MySpace is a favorite among millions of users and not
everyone abuses it. MySpace is known to be a great place
to keep in touch with friends in different states as
well as meet new people with their same interests. MySpace
offers safety tips that all users should be aware of.
Remember to exercise caution when creating your profiles,
you're not the only one looking at it.
RB
RB |
