Kids and MySpace: ‘Social’ Web sites have too much information

By Lou Baldwin
Special to the CS&T

Remember the good old days, when parents could breathe a sigh of relief when the kids were tucked safely in their rooms for the night, shielded from all harm?

That was before so many teens and preteens had internet-connected computers in their bedrooms and were surfing goodness-knows-what. Now it’s Mom and Dad — not their children — who are left in the dark.

The corrosive effect of internet pornography has been well documented over the past decade. But now, a new, and seemingly innocuous danger has emerged.

It is called “social networking.” People with similar interests post their screen names, pictures and brief — or not so brief — profiles on a central host site, and develop a network of friends with whom they can chat.

The largest such sites, which have millions of users at this time, include MySpace, Xanga, Facebook and Friendster.
The whole thing seems innocent — but consider the dangers. What is being posted on the sites and who, exactly, are reading the postings — a friend, a malicious individual, or a predator?

Paul Sanfrancesco, director of technology for the Philadelphia archdiocesan schools K-12, has made about 200 appearances before student, parent and teacher groups throughout the area, warning of the dangers of the internet.

Speaking before upper-grade students at Nativity of Our Lord School in Warminster, Sanfrancesco used “Katie” — a fictitous name for a real local Catholic high school student — to illustrate some of those dangers,

He told his audience where Katie lived at different times in her life, her age, her school and grade, her sports and hobbies, where she worked after school — and what she looks like.
“I know everything about her — but she doesn’t know me at all. We’ve never met,” he said.

Sanfrancesco knows all about Katie because she has all that information posted in her profile on the MySpace Web site.

“How many of you have a computer at home?” he asked a group of fifth- and sixth-graders. Virtually every hand shot up.

“How many of you have e-mail?” he asked. More than half raised their hands. “How many of you know about MySpace or Xanga?” About a quarter knew all about the sites.

In a higher grade, the percentage would be even greater, according to Sanfrancesco. He estimates that half of all children in the eighth grade have posted an entry on MySpace. He’s actually presented programs at schools where every child in the class has such an entry.

“If you have a profile of yourself posted on the internet, erase it when you go home,” he urged the students.

MySpace was established in 2003 by a Californian, Tom Anderson, as a means for small rock-music groups to keep in touch with one another, and showcase their bands. It spread beyond his wildest dreams until, today, it has 41 million registered users of all ages — but especially the highly-prized youth demographic, between the ages of 14 and 30.

Last year, Anderson sold MySpace for $580 million to News Corp., which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, a major player in all branches of media.

It is truly big business. Especially because of the youth market, the Web site is extremely attractive to advertisers. In fact, it may already be the single largest site for on-line advertising.

While all of the schools Sanfrancesco visits have many students with profiles on MySpace or similar host sites, most of the elementary school students are technically under the permitted age for using such sites.

In its lengthy list of terms and conditions users must agree to, MySpace states that a user must be 14 of age or older to join. Xanga requires 13 years of age.

But joining is as easy as filling out an on-line registration form, and children under 14 simply lie about their age. Sanfrancesco said one child said his age was 20 in his profile — then listed an elementary school as the school he attended. So much for monitoring the information.

The MySpace terms and conditions also state that a member’s profile may not include telephone numbers, street addresses, last names or e-mail addresses. Profile photographs may not show nudity or be sexually explicit. There are also many similar rules concerning messages sent back and forth between members.

It ll sounds good. Then the terms and conditions continue: “MySpace is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate content posted on the website or in connection with any service provided.” So much for enforcement.

Once someone has opened a member account — which is free if it is not used for commercial purposes — the member starts acquiring a list of “friends”: other member with whom he or she can automatically exchange messages.

Those potential friends can easily run into the hundreds, and anyone seeking new friends can look at any profile on the lists he or she obtains, adding to his or her own circle.

A major danger is that just as a child can lie about his age to join MySpace, a potential predator can also lie — in order to join a child’s circle of friends.

That has happened in a number of documented cases.
At this point, however, most problems that involve abuse of the site stem from children themselves.

Just skimming various profiles, one sees very young girls in bathing-suit photos or provocatively posed pictures, and boys with highly suggestive content in their profiles.

Cyber-bullying — using the Web to posting insulting or injurious material about classmates — is also very common. So is “venting” — posting libelous or uncomplimentary comments about parents, teachers or other adults.

In some instances, false and scurrilous profiles have been entered — deliberately injuring the reputation of another child or adult.

What many people don’t realize, Sanfrancesco told the students, is that once something is posted on the internet it can’t be taken back.

And nothing on the Web is really anonymous. Everything sent by computer can be traced back to the computer from which it was sent.

Schools — especially nonpublic schools — can and do suspend or expel students who post inappropriate material, even when it is done from their homes.

Further, in serious matters, people who post malicious material are subject to prosecution.

And one more thing: Students should know that many high schools, colleges, and prospective employers now check the Web to obtain information about their applicants, Sanfrancesco said.
“If you wouldn’t want them to see it, you shouldn’t write it”— anywhere on the Web, he warned.

Most schools, including Nativity, routinely block objectionable material from their computers, and increasingly that includes the social networks.

After attending a workshop on the issue, some of Nativity’s teachers checked student profiles on MySpace.

Said Susan Klunder, the school’s principal: “They were appalled by some of the provocative material they saw.” The school immediately blocked the site.

Cyber-bullying has become a big thing now — Klunder believes that girls are bigger cyber-bullies than boys — but Sanfrancesco’s presentation seemed to be effective on that issue, too.

“When the children heard the high schools and colleges are going out and checking the internet, there was a dead silence on the room. I think they got the message,” Klunder said.

Some of the students did, in fact, say they will be a bit more wary about divulging personal information on the internet.

“I learned even if you do not post all your information on MySpace, people can still find your information from your friends on MySpace,” commented Christopher Troy, an eighth-grader who now believes no one should talk to anyone in a chat rooms except his or her closest friends.

Chidi Chukwunenye, another eighth-grader, agreed that setting up a profile is bad because total strangers can learn so much personal information. She said she was also surprised to learn that “if you send anything on the internet, it can be traced back to you through the internet protocol address.”

What’s the lesson for parents who have children who use the internet? The advice of Sanfrancesco and other experts is to use common sense.

First of all, he said, the family (or student’s) internet access should not be in a private space such as a bedroom, but rather, in a place where its use may be monitored. Appropriate site-blocking controls for children should always be applied.

And although MySpace and other social networks permit children 14 years old or younger to have an account in which personal information is posted, parents should not permit their children to have such accounts.

Parents should control every internet account, know the screen names and passwords used by their children, and routinely monitor what sites they are visiting and what is being posted on the sites, Sanfrancesco said.

And parents should emphasize to their children that no one else — not even a sibling or best friend — should know their internet passwords.

It might also help to learn the shorthand kids are using, both on the internet and cell phone text-messaging (another related can of worms). Some of the meanings might shock you.

If all this sounds like an invasion of a child’s right to privacy, it isn’t. It’s child protection, pure and simple.

Lou Baldwin is a member of St. Leo Parish and a freelance writer.