Posted on 02/04/2006 10:24:30 AM PST by wagglebee
(CBS4) MIDDLETOWN, CT Police in Middletown, Connecticut are investigating at least five sexual assaults that may be linked to the popular web site, Myspace.com.
Middletown Police Chief Bill McKenna said none of the incidents appeared to have been violent. He said the girls, ages 12 to 16, say they were fondled or had consensual sex with men who turned out to be older than they claimed.
It is a predator's dream come true, this Web site," said McKenna. "Because not only can you see them, but you can see their friends. You can find out where they go to middle school and high school."
Users of the social networking site create profiles that can include photos, personal information and even cell phone numbers.
In one case, McKenna said, a man traveled more than 1,000 miles to meet a Connecticut girl whose profile was posted on the site.
He said it is difficult to determine the exact number of victims because some girls have been reluctant to disclose that they met their assailants online.
McKenna said Middletown police are warning parents to monitor their children's use of MySpace and similar sites. The Middletown Board of Education is so concerned that it is setting up a forum on the issue.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says he's also received lots of complaints from parents who say kids can post and access inappropriate and sexually suggestive material through the site.
He says he's referring the complaints to the Chief State's Attorney's office for possible prosecution.
MySpace.com says it has several initiatives to keep users safe, including 24-hour monitoring of the site and reviewing all images. It also says it will work with Blumenthal to address his concerns.
DISCUSSION ABOUT: "CT Sex Assaults May Be Linked To Teen Web Site” Achieves Results"
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That 20/20 show last night about sexual predators was a real eye-opener. That myspace.com site is a real problem.
MySpace is not a "teen" website. It is primarily for promotion, especially for bands/singers/songwriters, etc. There are pervs there like anywhere else, and there is inappropriate material for teens. The pervs have simply migrated from places like Yahoo or AOL chat rooms to MySpace. There are similar sites like Xanga that kids post to and, I'm sure, pervs hang out at. Having said all that, parents must constantly monitor their children's online activities. Rule #1: Don't talk to (or meet!) strangers.
>> It is primarily for promotion, especially for bands/singers/songwriters, etc
I heard on Laura Ingraham's show that yes, that was the intent of MySpace, but it soon turned into a "hey! all my friends
can chat with me and see my pix here" type of site. That's
right, they migrated from Yahoo and AOL to MySpace.
And it is enormously popular. I work with a lot of people in their late teens and early 20s and they all have myspace profiles and access the site regularly.
I've spent maybe 5 minutes over there. Not my thing. It would take away from my FReeping time.
Looks like they offer safety tips...but who knows if
they're being heeded...
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/misc/safetytips.html
I agree that it's not just any single website. Any time that anyone posts personal information on the internet, they are potentially putting themselves in danger. And teenagers are especially vulnerable. The single best protection that children have is vigilant monitoring by their parents, and the argument of "kids need their privacy" is BS too; because once it's on the internet, it's no longer private.
The site is just a place to get together, like the mall. The problem here is lack of parental supervision, both at the computer and away from the computer.
They aren't.
Browse through the site alittle.
These kids are dumber than dumb.
They're asking for major trouble.
You're right. I watched "Trading Spouses" or somesuch and the teen daughter has posted suggestive photos of herself on the 'net. Her parents didn't even know about it! The visiting mom made her take all that crap down. I was cheering the whole thing.
Don't you mean the one on NBC? It was truly horrifying!
Was "Dateline"
Sorry, I'm sure you're both right, I don't watch tv that much so am not familiar with the programs/stations. Made a special point to watch that, though.
By the way, is one required to be at least 13 years of age to post to FR? I looked at the registration guideslines, and didn't see anything.
Of course, we are a rather clean and decent site....more or less.
First of all, I hardly think FR is the type of website that predators would be looking for victims (we tend to get rid of wackos fairly quickly). But the problem is that anybody can say they are any age they want online.
Its stuff like this that makes me think that it would be a bad idea to have children, especially female children.
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