Schools Crack Down on Teen Social Site

Districts, law enforcement are forced to balance cyber safety with Internet access

By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 4/1/2006

School officials and law enforcement agencies are cracking down on cyber predators—but it's hurting kids' ability to socialize and conduct school research, say some librarians.

We've all seen the press reports: as many as seven Connecticut teenagers were recently sexually assaulted by men they met on the popular Web site MySpace.com. A 27-year-old Maine resident was sentenced to three years in prison in February for having a relationship with a 14-year-old girl he met on MySpace who claimed to be 19. That same month, a 26-year-old California man posing as a teenager was arrested on charges of molesting a 14-year-old girl he met on the site.

As a result, schools nationwide are banning kids from using the social networking site and installing computer filtering systems that are so extensive they block students and teachers from essential Web sites. Sharon Hallberg, a media specialist at Davis Senior High School in California, says her school doesn't even allow students to use e-mail, which Hallberg says, “negates part of the power of using the Internet as a teaching tool.” Teaching responsible surfing is more effective, Hallberg adds, because students will need to protect themselves from online predators outside of school.

Concern over cyber safety has led the Virginia legislature to recently pass a bill requiring teachers to warn students about Internet predators and offer Web safety instruction. And Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal—who called MySpace a “parent's worst nightmare”—has launched an investigation into the site and met with company officials to explore ways to make it safer for kids.

MySpace, which has more than 60 million users, says it dedicates one-third of its workforce to policing and monitoring the site 24/7. “Since its inception, MySpace has developed a series of initiatives designed to protect our users against inappropriate conduct and content, including specific measures to protect our younger users,” such as banning anyone under the age of 14 and working closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, the company said in an e-mail.

But that hasn't stopped school districts from taking more precautions. In March, there were Internet safety meetings at schools in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, New York, and Texas. Meanwhile, the Utah Attorney General's office and the Utah State Office of Education have collaborated on an Internet safety curriculum that's being integrated into schools. And New York Attorney General candidate Jeanine Pirro sent a letter to Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of News Corp., which owns MySpace, asking the site's owners, schools, parents, and law enforcement experts to devise new ways to protect children.

There's no denying that Web sites like MySpace, Friendster, and Xanga are the new teenage hangouts. “They're going to go to these sites anyway, so we need to give kids the tools to be self-protecting on their own,” Hallberg says.