Never Too Safe Online Options

[Im So Vain]

In my recent issue of Teen Vogue there was an article about how, more teens are looking for love online. On sites like match.com, friendster, craigslist. makeoutclub, myspace, etc.

According to a September 2004 Dateline NBC report, one in five teens who chat or date online will be contacted by an online predator. As part of the show's investigation, a reporter and a team of volunteers created a fictional 14 year old Brooklyn girl who e-mailed with men in cyberspace. "She" eventually made plans to meet them for sex, In the course of a single afternoon more than eighteen men showed up at a house where they thought the young girl would be waiting alone for them. (Instead, they were greeted by Dateline reporters.)

QUESTIONS TO GET STARTED:
1.)Should the minimum age to have an online personal be raised?

2.)Should parents have more control over their childs internet access?

*Fell free to add anymore thoughts you have, beyond the two questions.

[Heewee]

I think that every parent should use their own discretion. It's basically the same thing as letting their child go to the park alone in the dark....you just don't let your child go do whatever they want to do online until they are a certain age. Enough said. But to a certain extent, you also should have an agreement with your child that they aren't going to abuse their online priveledges. I don't think that there should be any formal standards set. What it is now is fine.