Posted on 05/04/2006 10:04:25 AM PDT by jmc813
Massachusetts Tuesday called on popular teen social networking Web site MySpace.com to strengthen protection of children against sexual predators, including raising the minimum age for users to 18 from 14.
The arrest Tuesday of a 27-year-old man in Connecticut on charges of illegal sexual contact with a 13-year-old girl he met through MySpace underlines the risks of the fast-growing Internet site that boasts about 60 million members.
"MySpace has not taken sufficient steps to ensure that the MySpace Web site is a safe place for minors," Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly said in a letter to MySpace.
He said a three-month investigation found that potential child predators were surfing MySpace seeking chats with potential victims and violent images or content were being posted to bully children.
"An adult can register as a minor member and use that profile to seek access to the profiles of countless underage members," he said in a statement.
MySpace allows teenagers and young adults to find friends and express themselves by posting profiles and blogs, or Web journals covering everything from their favorite singers to schoolwork and intimate personal details.
It generated a blizzard of headlines in national media this year that have raised alarm with parents and school authorities -- from "Man arrested in MySpace.com teen-sex case" to "Sex predators are stalking MySpace; is your teenager a target?"
Connecticut authorities said in March that two men -- one age 22 and the other 39 -- were arrested on allegations they had sexual contact with minors they met through MySpace. Another man was arrested early on Tuesday at a Connecticut hotel after a mother reported her daughter missing.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
The arrest Tuesday of a 27-year-old man in Connecticut on charges of illegal sexual contact with a 13-year-old girl he met through MySpace
More useless legislation... note the age of the girl... Myspace's minimum age is already 14, so raising it to 18 wouldn't have changed a thing here.
Datelies NBC....
Anyway...I see two things here.
1. an attempt at government to place more power over the people.
2. bad parenting.
An article in today's Boston Herald noted that if Myspace becomes unavailable to young teens, they'll just go to other similar websites -- and those may not cooperate with law enforcement as well as Myspace does.
But, hey, Tom Reilly's running for governor and isn't the shoo-in he started as (thank God!).
Oh yeah. That's gonna help. Of course there will be no way to fake one's age OVER THE FREAKING INTERNET!
What a moron.
It used to be 18+.
Didn't stop the kids from lying about their age to get in.
The new way that MySpace handles the profiles of minors is you have to be a member of a friend list for that profile in order to view it. Aside from the initial photo on the profile, other information is all locked down and the profile is generally treated as private.
Now the flow of people lying about their age is heading in the other direction, with people claiming to be a young minor so their profiles will be locked.
At least, that's how I imagine it works. I have a fair number of minors who belong to my political blog's friends list. Other than that, I don't come across minor profiles often who are not on my list except when they request to join or message me one of those uninformed, anti-conservative rants. Usually I just get friend requests though. :-)
Actually, MySpace should tell Massachussets to put a maximum age on their politicians.
Let's review the facts: The perp attempts to meet a 13 year-old girl. This alarms everybody in Mass so that they want the minimum age raised from 14 to 18.
Does anyone see a disconnect here?
Here's an idea, instead of depending on the state to parent your kids... how 'bout you people BE PARENTS?!?!?!
Another dumb law that can not be enforced other than making yet another opprtunity for trial lawyers (Yeah, like I am going to tell some young chick in a bar that I am 55 !)
This wouldn't work because all teens have to do is lie about their birthdays. DUH!
"Actually, MySpace should tell Massachussets to put a maximum age on their politicians."
Good one. You mean Teddy couldn't lie to us and pretend he's 50? He doesn't look a day over 80!
Not only is this stupid, unenforcable and futile but it over-reaches.
The State doesn't have the authority to put any restrictions on Internet sites.
Im sure the text of the bill would specifically require kids to not fabricate their age. Because kids listen so well when told what to do. ;)
One funny thing is we criticize the Chinese for getting google and other companies to put in tons of rules and restrictions. Then we do basically the same thing.
The internet should be kept completely free imo... and luckily in most of the world they don't have the means to police it anyway.
Also the government's definition of a minor is not the same definition as a normal person's. For example pedophilia to them could be a 20 year old female sleeping with a 17 year old male.
MySpace is actually a valuable tool for parents who want to know what their teenagers are thinking. Kids, somehow believing what they post to it is private, post material to it that, in the past, would have gone into their private diaries. All a smart parent kees to do is give his kid a MySpace account and look at it from time to time to see what's going on in the kid's head. School administrators can also use it the same way and might even be able to cut off a Columbine before it happens.
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