The Dangers of Myspace and Facebook

Parents with teen children should be aware of the many dangers that are associated with the popular social networking sites Myspace and Facebook which allow people to communicate with each other through the internet. But even though these sites are very popular, they also can be dangerous. There are many people in the world who have twisted, cruel minds and they can pose a risk to children that don’t expect anything wrong can occur on Myspace or Facebook.

There are many reasons that Myspace and Facebook have become less secure over the years. One example from Facebook is that they have started this new application, called News Feed, which allows views to see what other members do on the site without even visiting their page. This is very alarming because now, predators don’t even have to go to someone’s page to see what they are doing.

Myspace also faces problems as well. It has been shown from a recent survey that there are over 29,000 registered sex offenders on the Myspace site. This number was 4 times more than the original projected amount. The number is causing panic among people because the number has grown so much in such a short time period. But there could be more than the 29,000 number of sex offenders because of Myspace not requiring people to put their real name into the site. This is also a problem that should somehow be resolved.

There are many ways that parents can help their kids stay safe from sex offenders and other dangerous people. One thing that kids should do is that they should know not to accept friend requests from strangers. They can be potentially dangerous and becoming friends with people that your children don’t know could get them hurt. But a way that sex offenders try to get to children is my posting fake names and pictures so that they seem like just another kid. Your children should be warned against these kinds of people.

Another way that you can keep your children safe is by having them keep their personal information safe. If a child posts their personal information such as their address, phone number or even last name on a Myspace or Facebook site, it will be relatively easy to find them. That’s why it is important to be careful about posting your information out on the internet where anyone dangerous can get a hold of it and create a truly hazardous and precarious situation.

Another possible way that parents can protect their children is by making sure that their profiles are private as are their pictures. If only their friends can view their pictures and profile, then the sites can safer for children. They wouldn’t have to worry about sex offenders and other people getting information on them and looking at their pictures. Privatizing profiles and pictures is another way that parents can make sure their children are safe from the hidden dangers in the world of social sites.

Children on Myspace and Facebook should be aware of sex offenders and other people who make bribes to try and get kids into their house. One main thing that children should know is to never go to a stranger’s house. If the child just has to go, they should be accompanied by an adult to oversee that nothing goes wrong. Also, be sure to make a background check to make sure that the person is who they say that they are. That is another precaution that can be taken in keeping children safe from predators.

There are over 600,000 sex offenders in the United States. Every one in 20 of them has a Myspace profile. This number is very astonishing. Children should be reminded that anything can go wrong in the world and that no one is completely safe. But parents can help protect their children from becoming a victim of a predator by taking all the possible safety precaution to ensure that they are safe and sound.