Next week will see a number of moves by MySpace to try and protect young users, the New York Times reported today. The biggest change will be that users registered as over 18 years of age will be required to enter the full names or email addresses of users under 16 years of age in order to contact them. Usernames are sufficient to send a friend request to anyone in MySpace now. The obvious flaw in the plan is that ill intentioned adults can easily register as being of any age, thus bypassing the adult-child restrictions.
Additional changes to be made include a new ability for anyone to mark their profile page private and removal of advertisements for adult services like dating sites on the pages of youth users. Automatically making all profiles of users registered below the age of 16 might be more effective, but would likely make the service far less popular among children who enjoy meeting other children they do not know in the offline world.
There may be no definitive way to protect children online from adults who seek to harm them. It is also worth noting that, according to a 2000 study by the US Department of Justice (pdf) (or in HTML), 34% of US juvenile sexual assault offenders were family members of the victims. Education, parental guidance and deeper cultural change than is possible in the online world may be the only available solutions to the endangerment of children.
A debate over MySpace’s responsibility in these matters breaks out in comments, below.
Ehm, what’s up with the link to the California Custom Cars exhibition? Is that an inside joke? Or just something that Marshall does on his weekends?
Too many tabs open, and more than one at NYT for probably the only time in months – that’s what’s up with it.
All fixed, thanks.
First of all I totally disagree with where this has come from. I mean parents should be responsible for their kids. Don’t just have kids and wonder off and do your own things. You have kids, then you learn to take care of your kids. Know when they are chatting and when they are doing their research. With advance technology this is not hard. Block the damn ports and sites. Get some hacker to clean up the computer so that their visits to certain sites comes up empty. But to file a lawsuit against an online company because your child ran off and had sex with a maniac, thats just insane.
As a parent, learn about what is happening online. Learn about what your children may want to try out. Then see where you need to step in. Myspace to my knowledge should not be held accountable for any of this non sense.
Great post Dots. Sums it up.
Myspace is obviously trying, but I think it’s the kids fault sometimes, doing stupid stuff like adding adults as friends they don’t even know. I mean, come on!
What took them so long?
I agree with dotsmedia’s comment and the section of the original post. There is no way to keep the maniacs from lying to get to what they want. They will do anything to achieve their goal. Parents have to watch what their children are doing. Like dotsmedia said “you have kids, then you learn to take care of your kids”. The preditors that work the angles offline and online aren’t going to stop no matter what laws are passed and no matter what web sites like myspace does. There would have to be some extreme measures taken to prove identity and age, similar to those that are done in the offline world, to rein in what’s goings on. It’s going to be unlikely that an online community like myspace is going to establish brick and mortar shops around the country and world for kids to walk in and sign-up – they would be finished. So the bottom line is, watch what the kids are doing, who they’re talking to online or off, and where they’re going. It may feel like prying and spying but it’s in their best interest, they just don’t know it yet.
I think it has more to do with the fact that they have to be seen to be doing something about this ‘problem’ rather than actually trying to solve it properly. This ‘problem’ is completely blown out of proportion IMHO.
Understandably, much of the focus in this debate is on predators. But another huge problem is that every porn star and, worse, men trying to “recruit” porn stars are on MySpace. DotsMedia and like-minded folks are being willfully irresponsible saying the whole burden falls on parents. Yes, of course, parents have to watch out for their kids. So, in that case, they should ban their kids from MySpace because of what they might come acorss there. I’m not saying pron stars and their fans shouldn’t have their own network, but it shouldn’t be the same one that 14-year-old kids are part of. That’s like saying that the corner store can put porn on the shelf next to the bread and its the parents responsibility to shield the kid, so don’t let him run an errand to the store. Everyone has some responsibility in the kinds of public and semi-public spaces they create.
I agree with DotsMedia, it’s not Myspace or any other site that should be at fault. It’s parent’s responsibility to monitor what their kids’ do online. Myspace needs to stop mentitoring by enforcing stricter rules because this will eventually hurt Myspace credibility amongst young visitors. Myspace is a site that gives teens somewhat of an Independency and have their own site to share it amongst friends and if that rights are violated by undercover cops patrolling the site many young Myspace users will most likely switch to another social network where there is less controlling over a site that was once a so-called “their space”.
Myspace is also a “nitch” and once that nitch is no longer cool because of Parents and undercover cops patrolling the site Myspace will eventually be less popular. Ever since News Corp has taken over Myspace they forget that Myspace was popular through words of mouth and word of mouth can bring Myspace down.
That’s the beauty of social networking vs. Media Television. Everything online are always through words of mouth and blogs. Myspace can be Huge today and can also be gone tommorrow if teenagers realized that it’s no longer cool to have Myspace.
Dots definitely brings up the best argument when it comes to protecting kids on sites like myspace. It should absolutely be the responsibility of the parent to monitor where their child is going, what they are saying, and who they are talking to. I think some sort of history log, like the one AOL instant messenger has, should be placed onto the website to give the parents full access to their childs profiles and conversations. It’s one thing for the parent to take their childs word that they aren’t talking to people, but to actually see it could stop anything before something happens.
At least it’s a start :0)
As a parent of teenage boys, one of which has a Myspace profile, it is soley my responsibility to watch what they are doing and who they talk to. But it certaintly helps that Myspace is taking steps in helping me along the way.
It keeps coming back to the same old issues of identity verification, doesn’t it?
It’s not MySpace’s problem, because the only measures they can implement will only ever keep honest users honest. Dishonest users are going to lie about their age (name, etc.) and the only thing that happens is that brothers and sisters more than 4 years apart can’t talk on MySpace.
The problem is a government and a people who think that society should raise children in place of parents; a difficult argument to sustain when some parents go to conventions for sexual deviancy and some go to conventions to rock out with Christ. No set of rules (either written by MySpace or the Feds) can parent for parents.
Also: Steve, that’s a bogus argument. It’s more like walking into a grocery store that consists of a counter where you place orders and saying, “Hi, can I have a loaf of bread, some Colgate Extra Whitening, a new set of Niccorettes, and oh, by the way, the latest issue of Extreme [insert fetish here]?”
It’s not a common space. You still have to *go* to MySpace, it’s not like they’re sitting on a shelf next to Bread.com.
First let me state that I am speaking as both an IT professional and as a parent.
In the 1980’s there was a huge battle over censorship of records. They came up with the idea of labeling records which may contain objectionable subject matter. One side of the argument rallied behind the cries of free-speech, the other side of the fence said that labeling records would hurt record sales.
Labeling seemed to fix this for both sides. You can still exercise free speech; you just have to tell people if your speech is for adults only. The labels did not hurt record sales, but a parent could quickly look at a record and decide if they needed to take a closer look.
Now onto the MySpace issue. First of all, MySpace should not be liable for children meeting adults through their site, that is ridiculous. However, the restrictions they are placing are fairly minimal. You have to know the minors complete name, not just their screen name. So brothers and sisters can talk, because presumably they would know each other’s full names.
Secondly, as a parent it is my duty to track my kids and know what they are doing. However, when my kid goes to the movies I can rely on the movie ratings board to set ratting by recognized standards and the movie theater to enforce those ratings.
If movies work this way why not social-networking sites?
Let’s set up a rating system and rate the pages on MySpace, then I will be able to tell pretty easily what my kid can visit. Right now I simply do not let her on MySpace, but if I could set up an account for her and limit, by ratings, what she is going to be able to see – then I could allow her there. So this is one customer MySpace is loosing because they don’t have security practices in place.
I am not shirking my responsibilities, on the contrary, the only way, currently, for me to meet my responsibilities adequately is to disallow her visiting the site all together. However if they took some more precautions then I could allow her there, and not be shirking my responsibilities.
Great article.
The by far bigger Myspace news is there roll-out in French and German within 30-60 days. This will add another 10-20 million users (if done right) within a couple months.
Steve:
“That’s like saying that the corner store can put porn on the shelf next to the bread and its the parents responsibility to shield the kid, so don’t let him run an errand to the store. ”
I’m from the UK. Most corner newsagents DO sell porn. The responisbility here comes in two parts: the responsibility of the parents for their children’s actions and the responisibilty of the shop owner for keeping an eye on his store. What the newsagents ended up doing was just putting the porn on the top shelf so the kids couldn’t get to it. Wouldn’t myspace be more sensible to do something like this instead? If your account has adult content or is “adult ariented” it can only be accessed by users over 18? It doesn’t sound like it would be a tough thing to code.
If you are going to provide the marketplace/community, you have to police it. eBay, Craigslist – everybody has to. Myspace needs to step up. Clicking on the ‘I’m over 18′ button – that’s pitiful. There are many ways to analyze data to identify/isolate/ban the creeps, wackos and weirdos. Apparently they are simply unwilling to invest in them.
I applaud Drawmack’s comment and the way it takes a middle road on the issue. Yes, the primary responisbility for parenting falls on the parent. And yes, a service like MySpace that caters to such a huge base of young users must also share in the responsibility for how its service is used.
We are all responsible! Are the commenters who shun any kind of proactive steps by MySpace towards the issues of safety for kids afraid that their experience with the service will degrade due to these steps? Or is it a deeper rejection of responsibility on the net in general?
We live in a complex media world with a million ways for today’s kids to access dangerous, illicit, or just plain unwanted (by their parents) content. Personally, I love this level of access and choice. But I definitely do not envy the parent that has to try to make sure their child is being safe with the digital cable, the net-connected family computer (or worse kid’s bedroom computer), the net-connected-text-messaging cell phone, the online 3D game system, and even the net-cafe down the street.
My point is, barring extremely draconian, uber-watchful parental presence, kids are able to go where they want online, and do what they want. The fact that so many of them go to one particular site is a great OPPORTUNITY to give our kids a safe online experience. And giving kids a safe experience online is NOT impossible. Whyville.net has managed to do it, and they still manage to be a very popular place for kids to go online. I invite parents and naysayers to check out my article on Adotas about just how safe a cool place online for kids can be. As adults (not just parents), it is our responsibility to make this planet a safe and beneficial place for the next generation. Like it or not, It really does require everybody’s involvement.
http://www.adot...-safe-for-kids/
Some dizzy broad’s kid can make it all the way to Jordan and Myspace is the one at fault? I blame indulgent baby boomers, no one has any sense of personal accountability anymore, it’s always the government or the big corporation’s fault.
I think Myspace should keep their same rules, page are not allowed to be seen in public for kids under 14.
Studies have shown that most molestation often takes place at a child’s home by a known relative, 80% to be exact.
Child predators are everywhere not just online. We’re talking about “social networks”. If Myspace continues to get into people’s personal life just so parents don’t have to monitor their children online then Myspace will end up being another AOL and Msn chat rooms where many teenagers have rarely visit much.
If you notice most of the AOL, yahoo, and msn chat rooms are full of porn advertisers, child predators, adults and undercover cops. Ever since Myspace became popular many teenagers are often not use chat rooms as often as before. Social networks have changed the way teenagers communicate with friends online. If Myspace turns into AOL, msn and yahoo chat rooms with undercover cops patrolling the site then many teens will get turn off and eventually switch to another social site.
Speaking from a Myspace user, I’m safe to say that many loyal Myspace young users often are not in support of undercover cops patrolling the site. Teens prefer not to have cops patrolling their personal space and Myspace is consider a personal space for many teens.
“…80% to be exact.”
Lol. Now nobody on TC will ever take you seriously.
One of the draws of MySpace for its young users is the freedom, however illusory, of adult scrutiny. See e.g. danah boy’d excellent paper on the subejct http://www.dana...s/AAAS2006.html
The moves by MySpace to “police” the site seem more like a News Corp PR exercise than a properly thought-out strategy for protecting children online. If young users feel themselves observed, it seems very likely they’ll simply defect to a new site where they are not observed. The launch of social networking sites intended for a global audience but hosted in e.g. Jamaica is something that TechCrunch has noted recently – see http://www.tech...m/tag/SmutVibes.
The above example is relatively niche, but it seems virtually inevitable that a more general-purpose social networking site like MySpace will launch in Jamaica or Russia or somewhere generally less litigious than the US. If MySpace insists on policing the activities of its younger users, thus hastening their defection to a site completely unmoderated and extra-territorial to evade that unwelcome intrusion, the onus will be back on the parents to look after their kids. So I’m very much in agreement with DotsMedia – trying to force MySpace to act in loco parentis will only drive the users somewhere less savoury, and responsibility ultimately has to devolve to the parents either way.
That’s your opinion Ben, you don’t represent other bloggers from TC. I work in human resources and some of the case deals with child molestation. Most cases occur at a child’s home by a known relative. . Don’t criticized me if you don’t know the facts.
Ben here’s an informative website you can read http://www.ncvc...ocumentID=32360
Maybe now you can educate youself about child rape cases.
Research indicates that 46 percent (46%) of children who are raped are victims of family members. (Langan and Harlow, 1994.)
The percentage are actually much higher since most case are not documented. Also the documents are researched in 1994. The percentage are said to be increased.
Eleven percent (11%) of rape victims are raped by their fathers or step-fathers, and another 16 percent (16%) are raped by other relatives. The percentage may not be in the 80% ranges, but it’s up there.
The sad part is the media ignores relative rape cases and focus most of the attention on a social network such as Myspace. Parents ignore that children can also be endanger in their own home by someone they trust.
One thing I forgot to add from the article.
Of the 93 women and nine men included in this study, 80 percent (80%) of the women and all of the men reported sexual problems in their adult life.
The things i dont get is that i understand that alot of people are putting things on myspace that are not right but for some people that who that is there is only way to tawlk to people thay have blacked it from so many places its dume people just need to watch what the heack thay put on the net and thqats real bec my sisi is 15 and goes on myspace an i dont even let her go on it anymore so thats that i understand
Great Post.
Hey Sawp Everybody
MYSPACE ROCKS!!!:)
Sure! This will work.
how come kids 10 or 11 can’t have one im 11
and i want one really bad i only wan’t to talk to my friends. they have one and their 9 no fair im so mad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why can’t they let people that have children addresses but are 12 years or older join? I mean that is so stupid, come on I am 12 years old and it won’t let me sign up…just because I am on a kids acount “kol.com”
I answer to your problems is easy (im not tell you To do it but how do you think kids get on myspace and youtube) (i have a youtube but im afrid of myspace)DO NOT PUT YOUR REAL AGE DONT GIVE ANY INFO TO ANY ONE YOU MEET ON MYSPACE OR YOUTUBE YOU CAN SAY YOUR FIRST NAME BUT DONT SAY YOUR WHOLE NAME DONT PUT ANY PICS OF YOUR SELF ON THE INTERNET AND YOU WILL SAVE YOUR SELF A LOT OF WORRY!!!!!AND IF SOME ADULT SAYS “COME TO MY HOUSE,I HAVE CANDY”RUN FOR DEAR LIFE TO THE COPS!!!YOU JUST GOT LUCARISCHOOLED IDIOTS
Sei la
my space doesn’t care and wont do any thing until they are hit with a lawsuit and that means that one of our children will have to be hurt i have been complaining to myspace because i have a underage granddaughter
whose pretending she is 19 and saying things that i am afraid is going to get her in trouble i have contacted her parents but they are to busy to care and when i contact My space they give my some Bullshit answer like we see see no definitive proof she is underage what do they want her fucking birth certificate.