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	MySpace Gets A Little Safer   Parent Involvement Online Changes Everything   02-02-07
	“Should I let my eighth grader be on there?” “Is there a way for me to see what my daughter is putting on her sight?” “Is there a way to restrict who can see my son’s profile?” “How can I know if my kid is talking to stranger on her sight?”      These are all questions I get concerning MySpace every time I lead the Wired Generation workshop. And all great questions I might add. Of the parents attending our workshops, more than half are still unfamiliar with MySpace or how it works. This is shocking considering it is the #1 place teens hang out online. The church we attend did an informal poll among their youth that showed 100% of the high school students spend regular time on MySpace. Nationally, 48% of teens spend time on social networking sites each day, with more than 1 in 5 visiting several times a day.     MySpace is far more than a typical website to find information. It is an online community. It's a place for teens to explore their identity and an outlet for self-

expression. It allows them to communicate instantly with one another and create a list of “friends” that are a part of their site. As part of their creativity, most teens feature personal items that help express who they are such as photos, music players with favorite songs, diaries, and personal profiles.     All of this self-expression can be great but also has many inherent dangers in an environment that has little boundaries or restrictions. I’ve addressed these dangers in a previous article and at the Wired Generations workshops so I’m not going to go into detail about them here. Instead the point of this writing was to tell you there have been some great changes recently with MySpace and it all came from parent’s getting involved.

According to a new study from Pew Internet Research, [click here to see the study] 66% of teens that use MySpace have a restricted profile that is not visible to all internet users. This figure has more than doubled in the past two years as we’ve seen parents taking an active role in their teen’s online activities. Once parents become aware of the potential dangers, they go to work to make sure their teens are using sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Xanga in a responsible way.           MySpace Listens to Parents Demands     In the past three years there have been several sexual crimes perpetrated against teens on MySpace. This occurred as a direct result of teens communicating with strangers on their personal site (and many times meeting them). Once again, we’ve seen the power of parents in action as they demanded the makers of MySpace to provide stricter policing of their site against predators and better communication with parents. In response, MySpace is creating software you can download that will allow you to see when your teen has been to their site, how long they stayed, and if they sent or received messages from other users. It will not allowed you to see their messages though.     This is a big step in the right direction for MySpace in creating a safer experience for teens and a more trusting relationship with parents.  Social networking is still an area of teen social interaction that requires much discernment from parents. Here are a few helpful resources to check out.  »  Safekids.com provides excellent tips for both parents and kids on setting boundaries for the internet.  »  Greatschools.net has a detailed article on the pros and cons of MySpace and other similar social networking sites. This gives a balanced approach and healthy response for parents.  »  MySpace itself has a Parent Tips section that includes how to set a restricted profile, how to delete a profile, how to report online abuses, and much more.

CURRENT TRENDS IN ONLINE TEEN NETWORKING ---------------- »  55% of teens use social networking sites like MySpace or Xanga. »  22% visit sites like MySpace several times a day. »  70% of older girls and 57% of older boys have created an online profile. »  72% use MySpace to make regular plans with friends.