Yes, you read that right. Ninety-thousand sex offenders were lurking on MySpace until the company recently booted them out, the AP reports. As a parent, this news story just sent my anxiety into overdrive, and I know I'm not alone in that. Now, I'll tell you in the interests of perspective that MySpace officially reports having more than 130 million users around the world. (Facebook claims 150 million.) But fractions don't mean much when you're looking at the sheer volume of predators who could be finding your teenager's (or pre-teen's) ill-conceived "glamour" shots or even, heaven forbid, their out-and-out sexually suggestive photos. Not long ago, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) arrested a man who hijacked an 18-year-old blogger's MySpace account and held it hostage, attempting to extort nude photos and "phone sex" from her in exchange for its return. Tentative and even innocent as their sexual explorations may be, it's our unique burden as parents in the 21st century that such a dangerous social arena is so wide open to our children and their mistakes--and to every unbalanced person in the world with access to wifi. Clearly, protecting our kids online requires effort, and I believe we need at least a three-pronged approach to really do the issue justice. I suggest that we parents make it a top priority to: 1 - Learn and use our parental controls, both in terms of choosing what types of games, software, and social networks our kids can use, and in terms of preventing their access to sexually explicit material and stranger contact. Your browser's Internet Tools menu as well as software programs like NetNanny, CyberPatrol, and SafeEyes are good places to start. Either reading about or trying out sites like MySpace and Facebook to learn their privacy controls--as well as what goes on there between people--is also critical. Ask your PTA for both student-body and parents' lectures on social networking sites. Better yet, help them put it together. 2 - Talk with our kids, about all the things we already know are important in their lives, but specifically about internet safety. Check out safeteens.com and an LAPD officer's internet safety tips for the basics. Some of us may even want to engage in a little Scared Straight-type talk. If you're looking for scary stories, tell them about my niece's college friend who answered an ad for a babysitter on Craigslist, went to meet the stranger who placed it, and was found dead in the trunk of her car the next day. 3 - Help our kids build full and healthy social lives from birth through adulthood. As with everything we try to teach our kids, setting an example ourselves as to what type of life we'd like them to live speaks louder than any mountain of words. But during the tween and teen years, just letting them know we're there for them, showing genuine interest in their struggles, and encouraging them to find healthy social opportunities may help more than we'll ever know. What's Your Strategy? Tell us what's worked, or just talk about what's got you most worried.
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