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Our Blogs The BeerFiles MySpace ruling shows need for common sense
Our Blogs The BeerFiles MySpace ruling shows need for common sense | MySpace ruling shows need for common sense |
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| by Stan Beer | |
| Friday, 16 February 2007 | |
      
The Internet can be a fantastic resource for kids and adults alike. In many cases these days, children use the net as a research tool to help them with homework assignments and as a way for staying touch with their friends. MySpace, which is designed to be used by children over the age of 14 and adults, can also be a fantastic resource for like-minded people with similar interests to form online clubs and discussion groups. Obviously, the system is open to abuse. A clever child can pose as an adult and even the smartest automated online system can't tell the difference. Just as no software is impervious to a determined hacker, try as it might, MySpace or any other social networking site, with current technology, will never be able to stop a determined youngster from fooling the system. However, proper education from parents and schools are the best way to teach kids how to stay safe in an unsafe world. When I was a young kid, a police officer visited my class at school and for an hour taught us all about a variety of ways of staying out of trouble, whether it was crossing the road or not talking to strangers. That lesson stayed with me to this day and full marks to all the schools and the police force in my state who initiated that program. Likewise, we should be teaching our kids both at home and at school about how to stay safe when going online. That's our best bet to avoid tragic incidents like ones for which MySpace is currently be sued. MySpace is the most popular social networking site on the Internet. If there is to be any criticism of the site, then it probably tries to appeal to a demographic that's too wide. After all, no parents want to think that their 14 year old kids might be socially interacting online with 30 year old adults. MySpace tries to address this issue by segmenting its user base and implementing safety procedures. However, perhaps it's time for the site to spin off a new site to cater strictly for its 14 to 17 year old members and leave the existing site for adults who can be held accountable for their actions.{moscomment} |
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