FooserX

Great post Meow!

If you want to let your kids do the myspace thing with no supervision, then more power to you...but that is just opening the door for all kinds of trouble.

Yes, it's a way for kids to hang out with kids...with no boundaries...since when is that a good thing?

Sooner or later, kids being bored online will lead to trouble.

Kaytee

so so so so true!!

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AmyBelle

Bek is to young for computers (althouth the thought of a 3yr old knowing how to surf the web isnt so far from reality nowadays is it?) but the amount of supervision I give to the computer in the future would be dependant on my relationship with her, however, the computer will always be in a central place, once the new baby comes we wont have a study anymore, so the computer will have to go in the lounge, and im 100% against the computers in rooms idea, because I think its ridiculous to have loads of electronics surrounding you when you sleep. Plus, one computer for 4 people is more than enough.

If she's off in her own world, not listening to a thing I say, screaming at me about privacy when she finds out that vaccumed her room when she's at school, then hell im going to snoop, because I wouldnt know her well enough to trust her, plus that is generally a big sign saying "I do stuff I know you wont like"

However, if she's open with me about not only stuff online but general life aswell, and she grows up to be an intelligent girl with street smarts then I think a couple of glances over her shoulder is sufficient.

As for myspace, I think that up until you are an adult it should be set to private, and that will be her instruction if she chooses to use the site.

I think if parents make the internet out to be this big bad thing that must be monitored at all times, then the curiosity of 'what is so bad about it' will lead teens off onto more undesireable websites and situations, if not at home, at friends palces where there isnt as much supervision, however, if more trust is put in there, and things are discussed in a manner that a teenager can relate to, such as 'why we dont place photos of ourselves in our underwear on the internet' conversations steering away from "OH MY GOD OLD MAN POSING AS 13YR OLD IS GOING TO HUNT YOU DOWN AND RAPE YOU" and more into how we present ourselves and how we want to be seen by the world, aswell as self respect, then the issue wouldnt be so bad.

As for those filters, my 9yr old niece knows more about computers than anyone in our family, so im guessing that your average teen can turn those on and off without you even realising.

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meow_173

Why would it be more likely? ANYONE who has a computer and access to these sites can make a profile.
Which returns me to my previous post. Your lack of konwledge on and about myspace and even facebook at times is laughable!You cannot assume that who you are talking to, IS who you are talking too. For all i konw right now, you could be a naked 65 year old man writing BS about god konws what (hypothetically of course). But do you see how ANY site can be a problem if you don't either talk to your kids about it or don't allow them FULL access to things....

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meow_173

Sorry i thought this was patrick's reply......but whatever,,,,it can be a general post

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Sirk

Dateline told me so.


I think it would be much more likely for a 16 year old girl who's looking for attention to hand out her info to the hot 27 year old who's hitting on her, than the creepy 67 year old.
Both would be bad news.

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AmyBelle

I think Meow's point is that she wouldnt know she's handing her info out to a 67yr old, the 67yr old would be posing as a 16yr old guy, would have taken photos off an actual 16yr old male's myspace and used them to get her to think that he's a 16yr old guy.

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karen

I really try to trust my little girl but internet is just unpredictable. And i heard so many things about internet predators that i can't stay calm when she is surfing the internet. And more that that the internet is full of porn sites, inappropriate content, i can't let my child to see that. On the other side i can't restrict her very much. That's why i tried to talk to her and explain what is good and bad but she is just a little girl. I put the computer in a populated area and i installed All-Spy Keylogger to monitor her activity when I'm not home. If there is something fishy i will find out in a second and explain her that what she had done is not quite ok.

meow_173

Its exactly what amy said. So what if a 16 year old is "talking" to someone who she "thinks" is 27.

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