For teens, MySpace is a popular online hangout because the site makes it easy for them to express themselves and keep in touch with their friends.
As a parent, please consider the following guidelines to help your children make safe decisions about using online communities.
Talk to your kids about why they use MySpace, how they communicate with others and how they represent themselves on MySpace.
Kids shouldn't lie about how old they are. MySpace members must be 14 years of age or older. We take extra precautions to protect our younger members and we are not able to do so if they do not identify themselves as such. MySpace will delete users whom we find to be younger than 14, or those misrepresenting their age.
MySpace is a public space. Members shouldn't post anything they wouldn't want the world to know (e.g., phone number, address, IM screen name, or specific whereabouts). Tell your children they should avoid posting anything that would make it easy for a stranger to find them, such as their local hangouts.
Remind them not to post anything that could embarrass them later or expose them to danger. Although MySpace is public, teens sometimes think that adults can't see what they post. Tell them that they shouldn't post photos or info they wouldn't want adults to see.
People aren't always who they say they are. Ask your children to be careful about adding strangers to their friends list. It's fun to connect with new MySpace friends from all over the world, but members should be cautious when communicating with people they don't know. They should talk to you if they want to meet an online friend in person, and if you think it's safe, any meeting should take place in public and with friends or a trusted adult present.
Harassment, hate speech and inappropriate content should be reported. If your kids encounter inappropriate behavior, let them know that they can let you know, or they should report it to MySpace or the authorities.
Now it's your turn. Let me know what you do to keep your child safe on the internet.
3 comments:
Also, check out Yomod.com. It is a media company for the sub-13 crowd that has social networking along with daily videos that are age appropriate. Very simple and safe way for your kid to get their online fill.
This is great info to know.
In my opinion, children below 18 should not be allowed to create an account on Myspace. Maybe Facebook is much safer in comparison.
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