Not everyone on myspace is a deviant sexual predator any more than on other social network sites like facebook. Parents set rules and watch their kids. There was a problem a while ago just like on aol but people are more aware now.

Myspace is safe if you use your judgement and don't give your real information to friends you don't know for long. I have a myspace page and so do almost all my friends and I don't know anyone who has had a real problem. I know people think we are to young but it really is not a problem. We know what to watch out for.

Very true. Kids get into trouble all too frequently as a result of trusting "friends" on social networking sites like MySpace. I echo your concern. Parents beware.

There is a bill sponsored by Rep. Mark Steven Kirk (R-Illinois) before Congress now that would bar children who use computers in public libraries from accessing MySpace, Facebook and other social networking websites without parental permission.

Of course, the American Library Association says Kirk's bill is an attempt by the federal government to interfere with library users' privacy and free speech. Along with the ACLU, they seem determined to provide a haven for sexual predators under the guise of protecting liberty.

It is a serious problem.

It is the parent's job to monitor their teen's internet usage, if they choose to abdicate that responsibility it does not automatically become the library's problem. Banning these sites in libraries simply excludes teens who do not have access at home and prevents them from taking part in a fast growing portion of how real-life communication and networking is evolving.

Kids don't know any better because they're kids. They waste computer time (being on MySpace & Facebook) for other people who want to use the library computers for research, etc.

C'mon. Y'all actually think that the Bill writers are trying to protect kids? They're being posturing attention w-h-0-r-e-s. They KNOW this will never go anywhere. They're going to go back to their districts and brag about how they tried to protect kids in the next election.

When I was in High School we were banned from social sites in the library. Less temptation to get off-task and less liability for schools!

It is up to libraries to set policies and up to parents to know what the policies are and chose libraries and services that are consistent with their needs. Limiting access ion libraries would be like banning books.

Pandora's Blog has two great articles about cyber-bullying your readers might find helpful:

http://blog.pcpandora.com/2008/09/18/two-great-articles-on-cyberbullying/

It takes a village to keep our kids safe.

Way to go Bonita and Russell! Spoken like true teenage MySpace users! It's all about "the man" trying to interfere with your "right" to participate in the real-life networking evolution at the public library (instead of researching or studying).

Porn, MySpace, Facebook, these are the things public libraries were made for (and paid for with my tax dollars!) And your "rights" to access them at a public library trumps those of kids being exposed to a proven danger. Bills serve no purpose beyond political posturing.

It's all clear to me now. Thanks for your informed comments.

Thank you Orson for the link :)

We are told that the rationale for blocking access is to protect the children, but I see examples every week of our students using inventiveness and ingenuity to circumvent filters. The kids are more savvy at this than we are!

Many in the debate argue that, if the filters aren't foolproof, then we should abandon their use. I still believe filters are imperative; we just need better filters!

A new survey from Garlik (a company involved in the prevention of online fraud and identity theft) found that 75% of parents are monitoring what their children are up to, online without their knowledge, by logging in to their social networking accounts or setting up their own profiles so that they can “spy” on their kids.

The survey of 1,000 children aged 8-15 and 1,030 parents also found that children as young as 8 are visiting web sites which aren’t meant for under-12s, including the social network sites of Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo.

Around two-thirds of the kids surveyed admitted to posting information that could help identify them individually, such as mobile phone numbers and where they go to school. One in five had even met up with people they’d only befriended online.

Parents are responsible for what their children access online, and while "spying" may seem a bit drastic, it is absolutely necessary if you are to protect your kids.

"Stranger Danger" is a real threat for us all but especially for kids. They think they're invincible or too savvy to be tricked by a predator. But many, if not most, aren't. Too many get hurt.

Social networking sites, like MySpace, acknowledge the problem but have been slow to make it more difficult for underage children to access and use the sites. Public libraries are funded by taxpayers but have become unresponsive to taxpayer demands that access to porm and social networking sites be blocked or filtered to prevent children's access. It's an uphill battle for parents who want to protect their children from potential harm.

I think the recently introduced legislation aimed at barring children from accessing MySpace and similar sites on public library computers is a step in the right direction, but I know it will have a tough time of it. Similar legislation was introduced in 2006 and died in committee.

Between the ACLU and the ALA (American Library Association), our taxpayer funded libraries are becoming free "Internet Cafes" too often used for purposes that bring more harm than good to our children.

I am surprised no one commented on the funny graphic!! I looked at it before reading the post and cracked up!!

The article is good too, I just wish you had posted the picture separately.

Oh yeah, great picture! I got caught up following the discussion thread and forgot about it!