MySpace has been enormously popular in a short amount of time. The issue of MySpace conjures up the image of trying to balance fascination and fear. MySpace was created in 2003 and boasts 43 million users. But to make some gross generalizations, kids love it and parents either don't know about it or if they do, they hate it. The fascination with MySpace is that teens use it as a way to connect, a method of personal expression through a combination of journaling, photographs, music selections, inside jokes, listing of friends, etc...All wonderful for creative expression and personal connection. However, MySpace owner NewsCorp is taking some heat for safety issues which leave young and unsuspecting contributors open to the world at large. A Massachusetts Police Chief claims that "one out of five kids gets sexually contacted over the internet." Online predators can find a teen's profile on MySpace or Friendster and note their likes and dislikes, can see pictures of teens, and use that information in a virtual conversation to engage them.
AWall Street Journal Article NewsCorp Goal:Make MySpace Safe for Teens reports "MySpace has become the focus of criticism from authorities, teachers and parents that children are exposed to risqué content and are preyed upon by sexual predators who meet them on the site." It goes onto say "The site has so many explicit pictures that Playboy Enterprises Inc. has launched a casting call for a 'Girls of MySpace' nude pictorial for an upcoming issue of its magazine." A parent quoted in the article expresses concern "It's a parent's worst nightmare to have a young person on this Web site dispensing all kinds of information." The big problem is that teens think that only thier friends can see what they post. Sometime they even give out full names and information that can be used to locate thier address. According to John Palfrey a Harvard Law professor and executive director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society "sex offenders have found a powerful new tool in cyberspace. What you're doing is creating stalker.com, effectively."
In response to safety concerns now being expressed by parents as well as advertisers a new article My Space Continues to Facinate, Draw Coverage reports that MySpace is teaming with WiredSafety, an internet safety group, to address these concerns. It would be wonderful if this partnership created a safe environment for teens to share thier opinions without the risks of internet safety. It would be sad to throw out the ability for kids to be creative and express themselves freely, but if NewsCorp can't provide a safe environment, it just isn't worth the risk. NewsCorp and MySpace however need to look in thier own backyard first to clean up their act. The MySpace site prompts teens to fill out surveys with questions such as "considered being a hooker?" "considered a life of crime?" "ever kicked someone in the nuts?" Another questionnaire glorifies violent behavior by issuing a Homicidal Insanity Level by asking questions such as "weapon of choice:" "your kill count:" "victims per day:" "years spent in jail" "your favorite target:" "how much money in damages you caused" and on and on. The obvious goal is to answer the questions as violently as possible to get the highest score. Come on! MySpace needs to grow up on this one. If parents had any idea thier kids were being asked to answer these types of questions in the process of trying to express themselves they would surely pull the plug. Working with WiredSafety is admirable on the part of MySpace, but they need to come clean themselves and be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
A recent violent attack in Massachusetts the attacker was a teen who used an axe to attack bar patrons which was reported in a Boston Globe article. Detectives found his MySpace profile in which he listed "axe" in response to the survey question "weapon of choice:" One wonders if he had a high score on his Homicidal Insanity Level Quiz in his MySpace profile. Even more...did this prompt him to "prove it."
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