| News - Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Parents share concerns over MySpace
Open-souled confessional or a 'predator's dream'?
by Alexandria Rocha
Local parents recently got a wake-up call about the dangers of the Internet, in the form of a PTA meeting about MySpace, a public networking Internet service for people 14 years old and up.
To their horror, Jordan Middle School parents learned that vast numbers of students are sharing highly personal information with the world through MySpace, including where they live, what they look like and who their friends are. The site is so widespread that one law-enforcement official has called it "a predator's dream."
Before the parent meeting, the MySpace group account for Jordan, on which 78 students have profiles, was accessible to anyone on the Internet. It has since been made private, meaning outsiders have to be invited by a member to access the account. However, experts caution that it's still possible to access the students' individual profiles.
"Kids are putting stuff up on MySpace like it's a diary," said Melissa Baton-Caswell, president of the Palo Alto Council of PTAs. "The majority of parents don't even know about it."
MySpace is an advertising-supported site on which anyone with Internet access can create a free profile. Members can post photos and journal entries, as well as communicate with other members from around the world. There are no guidelines for what topics are discussed, and members can create profiles with fake names and information. Many people, however, use the site as an open-soul confessional.
Last month's meeting caused such a fervor that another event has already been scheduled for all parents of Palo Alto public school children in April. Larry Magid, an expert in Internet safety and a Palo Alto parent, will be the guest speaker.
MySpace is coming under fire as more parents and experts tune into the phenomenon. The site has recently been linked to cases of missing persons, including 15-year-old Kayla Reed of Livermore whose body was found in a San Joaquin County canal six weeks after she disappeared. Reed last accessed her MySpace account Dec. 2, the day before she went missing.
Police in Middletown, Conn., are currently investigating seven alleged sexual assault cases in which the victims may have met the suspects on MySpace.
Magid, who is also a columnist for the Palo Alto Daily News, said the site is the most dangerous aspect of the Internet today. In one fell swoop, he said, MySpace has managed to destroy the progress Internet-safety professionals have made in the last decade.
The average adolescent, for example, now knows to be careful about what information they share in chat rooms. Now, that same kid is sharing boatloads of personal information on MySpace.
"The extent to which people are putting that stuff out there is truly amazing," Magid said. "Are they looking for an international audience? Because that's what they're getting."
Both public high schools in Palo Alto also have group accounts on MySpace. Palo Alto High School's account, called Paly High, has 554 members, and Gunn High School has 461 members. Palo Alto's two other middle schools have accounts, as well - Jane Lathrop Stanford's group has 156 members and Terman's has 72.
Some students have included their full names and ages, while others use first names and fake ages. It's also common for students to fill out surveys where they list personal details about themselves.
Case in point: By clicking on the profile of one Palo Alto middle-school group member, you easily find out he is 14, has brown eyes, black hair, and a scar on his chest. He is half-Japanese half-Caucasian, almost 5-foot 7-inches tall, and right handed. He wears only Adidas-brand shoes and loves cheese and pesto pizza. It only gets more personal from here.
He misses his grandmother. His weaknesses are "ego, anger, irritability, whiney-ness." He doesn't know if he's ever been in love. He "sometimes...sometimes..." thinks he's attractive. He takes medication for Attention Deficit Disorder.
"The bottom line is it's exactly the kind of information predators need, not just to locate them, but to groom them as well," Magid said, referring to a manipulation technique sexual predators often use to gain a victim's trust called "grooming."
Besides posting personal information on MySpace, some students are also putting highly suggestive sexual and drug- and alcohol-related content on their profiles. Girls include pictures of themselves in bikinis. Both boys and girls post pictures of parties with teenagers drinking alcohol.
"If I were to click on there and see my kids with keg cups, I'd be worried," said Ken Kratt, a juvenile detective with the Palo Alto Police Department.
The group moderator for Gunn has included a photo in which she is holding what looks like a wine bottle. Another Gunn member has posted a portrait of herself bending over in a mini skirt. That girl also says she is a swinger.
Magid said parents should not overreact. After all, MySpace is not entirely bad and can be used in positive, healthy ways to enhance computer and communication skills.
On his Web site, Magid says parents should first find out if their child has a profile on MySpace or another online networking service. It is each parent's decision whether they let their student have or keep a profile, but one powerful message parents can share is that online postings can follow them forever.
"A photo or a piece of writing that may seem funny or cool or just a wee bit edgy to a 16 year old could be very embarrassing a few years later when that same young person is trying to get a job or establish a relationship," Magid writes on his site.
For more information about Internet safety, visit Magid's site at www.blogsafety.com. To find out about the upcoming PTA event about MySpace and Internet safety visit www.paloaltopta.org.
Staff writer Alexandria Rocha can be e-mailed at arocha@paweekly.com. | 
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