One of the most popular websites for teenagers is MySpace.Com, which has grown to astronomical proportions in the States and is growing by leaps and bounds in Canada.
It the biggest social networking website with more than 54 million members who chat with real friends or those they've made up.
Conversations usually start out innocently, but they can suddenly take an unexpected turn with questions like, " Do you like men, or women?" and " I love a girl in uniform"
A 17 year old Canadian girl, for example, provides an online application form to be her boyfriend or girl friend and includes questions such as " Do you want to have sex with me?" She also provides pictures showing herself drunk at a party.
The London Police Department's forensic computer examiner is taken aback by MySpace.Com. Pam Burke says " They're posting personal information... their pictures... pictures of their friends... where they go to school... all kinds of stuff. The danger in that is they're revealing personal information that a pedophile can use to track them down."
MySpace.Com is a social networking site.. a combination of a yearbook, a diary, and a club that's found only in cyberspace. It's free and takes only a few minutes to join. And it can put a child in danger.
Websites like it are replacing online chatrooms , which have long been a source of concern.
Police and school authorities, therefore, are teaming up to teach kids about internet safety. A new role-playing computer game called Cybercops, for example, will be available in Grade 7 and 8 classrooms across the Thames Valley School District by next year. It's based on a real-life Canadian case of two teen girls who were stalked by a man they met on the internet. The OPP and the Avon Maitland School Board have teamed up to teach kids about the risks of instant messaging and websites like MySpace.Com where kids have a tendency to reveal too much.
Both police and educators say the only way to make sure a child is safe online is for parents to become directly involved. They've outlined a several simple rules for them.
- Never reveal personal information
- Never agree to meet anyone you've met on the net
- Parents should set guidelines
- Install protective software.
And remember that no one is allowed to post a picture of someone else on the internet without written permission., and if you're under 18 you need your parent's permission to post your own picture
