MySpace - what are your thoughts?...

[unmanaged]

I used to work in networking also. Even if you delete the history from a web-browser your network should log the request for the webpage. That is not my point though. I, personaly, trust my children's use of internet. You won't always be there, and I don't think you want the first thing they do when their 18 is to go to porn sites. Try to remember what it was like to be a kid. I always thought that I deserved the trust, and I believe this about my children, to my knowledge they don't have anything wrong with them. If your in the IT business, you'll know that soon enough the internet won't be possible to escape, so you need let your children be able to use it, and use it wisely. If you "nip in the bud" you are usually just stoping the problem for now. Sure, your children will probably go to a forum site you disaproved of, once or twice, but I am sure we all did things we didn't want our parents to know about. The important thing to do is tell them WHY, you don't want them to visit certain sites.

(To teresa)

Well, it all depends on WHAT you are doing. Monitoring their every move is one things, blocking porn sites is another.

 

[jenilouise]

I think Jen this is the other issue. What is age appropriate? I would be surprised if a 9 yr old wanted a face book page & a bit alarmed. But by 11 or 12 all the kids want to be a part of whatever is cool or fashionable

Okay well my kids wanted Bratz dolls but as they are nasty I said no and explained why and they understood and moved on. I will do the same thing with MySpace/ Facebook and anythibng else I see as wrong.

 

[SpitNCobra13]

I know a lot of people, as young as 9 or 10 in my family, friends, etc that use it. This makes me pretty uncomfortable. I found my little sisters with full name and pictures when she was 12! I had her take it down. Networking sites are for adults, or at least high school age teens. There is no reason a 9 or 10 year old needs to be networking with pictures on the internet. If they want to talk to their friends, I recommend AIM. Its what I used as a pre-teen.

 

[jenilouise]

Oh yeah my friends use AIM to talk to their best friends, cousins, and aunts and uncles. I approve their friends lists.

 

[dracstaxi]

I agree with much of unmanaged's post. One thing I would like to add, don't let your kid meet anyone that they met on MySpace unaccompanied. If you are open about relationships with you child and let them use MySpace without too much restriction they won't keep it a secret if they meet someone online.

MySpace can be a great tool for meeting new people who share your interests, however it can be very dangerous if too much personal information is published. Just be sure you talk to your child and tell them the risks of meeting people in cyberspace. (There are lots of TV shows about this kind of thing.) Also remind them that they have no assurance what so ever that the people they meet online are actually who they say they are. There a lot of freaks out there who are using the internet to get at kids. For a lot of parents what I am saying just means that they get all freaked out and don't let their kids have any part in it. When kids are exposed to this information they VERY OFTEN take it into account and take down some of their more personal information. Many kids find no interest at all in MySpace, however peer pressure forces them to "use it or be square." Like what SpitN said above.

-Drac

 

[PreSchool Mama]

My son is too young to show an interest, but when he does, I'll assume he's old enough to hear about the dangers that are out there. I don't want to over protect him; at the same time I want him to be informed.

 

[Aunt]

I agree with much of unmanaged's post. One thing I would like to add, don't let your kid meet anyone that they met on MySpace unaccompanied. If you are open about relationships with you child and let them use MySpace without too much restriction they won't keep it a secret if they meet someone online
-Drac

I agree with this generally. A lot can be said for meeting your kids friends and letting them hang out at your house.