How to Keep Your Kids Safe on MySpace

MySpace is the Web's largest social-networking site, with over 70 million users of all ages. Although MySpace is fun and user-friendly, it can be a dangerous place for children and young adults. Protecting your kids online has become increasingly important. Here are few tips to keep your kids safe on MySpace:

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Internet access
• Computer

1. Present the facts. Explain to your children the problems and dangers they could encounter on MySpace. Read or show them some of the recent news stories (from reputable sources, of course) of real situations where children or young adults could have used better judgment when using MySpace.
2. Talk to your kids about safety online. Keep an open dialogue with them about what they use MySpace for, what information they post on MySpace and who they communicate with. Talk to them about not revealing too much information about themselves online.
3. Make their profiles private. MySpace has a feature that allows users to make their profiles private and viewable only by users on their friends lists. This will protect their privacy and shield them from potential dangers on MySpace.
4. Discourage your children from adding users who they do not know as "friends." Know who your children are communicating with on MySpace. MySpace has a feature that allows you to change settings to require users to provide last names or email addresses before your child can add them as a friend. Also, go through their friends on MySpace and make sure you can account for all of them. (Except Tom, he is the creator and appears on everyone’s friends list.)
5. Explain to your children that they can report hate speech, harassment or inappropriate content to you, MySpace and/or local authorities.
6. Install monitoring software. This is a way for you to monitor your kids' Internet activities without them knowing about it. This option is best used as a last resort.
7. Hide your children’s online status. MySpace has a feature that allows them to appear offline. If you feel your children are in danger of falling prey to sexual predators or other harmful influences, make them appear offline.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that MySpace is a very public place. Any information your child posts is accessible to the public.
• MySpace does not allow kids under 14 as users. If you discover that your child under 14 has a MySpace profile, you can have it removed by visiting the MySpace site and selecting “Remove My Child’s Profile.”
• Never allow your child to reveal his or her last name, birthplace, date of birth, phone number, IM screen name or favorite hangout on MySpace.
• Never allow your child to meet online friends in person unless you come along and the meeting is in a public place. Make sure the friends are age-appropriate.