Is MySpace Really Safe?
By carolbee
@carolbee (16230)
United States
September 8, 2008 10:46am CST
I'm not a member of MySpace but our kids are and post pictures. Is this really safe? So many internet predators are out there and it could be dangerous. I have some concern about someone contacting one of our kids, even though they are adults and know better, and pretenting to be someone they know or have known in the past. Now there are photos of our grandkids on one of the girl's MySpace page. I don't lose any sleep over this but do have concerns. Appreciate any feedback.
6 people like this
30 responses
@coolmailraj (2460)
• India
8 Sep 08
Hi.
I think that if your children themselves don't try to reach out for the forbidden areas of any site then they won't be effected adversely ever. But still if you do have any worries then just talk to them and try to make it clear to them that how they can stay away from any kind of trouble and enjoy their stay on internet.
@msedge (4011)
• United States
23 Sep 08
I had watched some bad news about this site.There are bad people that pretends here and would try to meet young ones and after the meeting the ladies were gone.I saw in the news 3 times different ladies almost the same story.They all gone after meeting a man they met from MySpace.Its not the site's fault but there are members that have bad motive or intensions.
1 person likes this
@cream97 (29087)
• United States
8 Sep 08
No, none of these type of sites are.. You have many people whom are out to destroy another.. They feed off of pure and a naive mind. I would be very careful of posting my picture over the Internet.. People do know how to find you, if they really want to. This can be very scary..
1 person likes this
@apples99 (6556)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I never post real pictures of me on the net i usually use art or cartoons i love for my profile pics,
but they say that there is a safe way to post real pics just by fallowing a few guideline's like they say people should only use pics that have no land marks like street signs or anything in the background that can be used to find out where you live and never dress provocatively in your pics and of course never give out personal info like phone numbers or passwords never go to meet someone you dont know from the net, i try to make sure i fallow those guideline's when i hangout on the net but you can still never be to careful or safe and im always sceptical about the net.
but they say that there is a safe way to post real pics just by fallowing a few guideline's like they say people should only use pics that have no land marks like street signs or anything in the background that can be used to find out where you live and never dress provocatively in your pics and of course never give out personal info like phone numbers or passwords never go to meet someone you dont know from the net, i try to make sure i fallow those guideline's when i hangout on the net but you can still never be to careful or safe and im always sceptical about the net.
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
9 Sep 08
i'm not a member either & from what i have heard about it i don't want to be.
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
9 Sep 08
u are welcome. have a great day & greetings from tennessee.
@lanlan011 (701)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I dont think myspace is bad. I have an account and my mom knows it. My mom even has an account. I dont talk to anyone I dont know. Everyone i talk to on myspace I already knew from school or somewhere else. I have pictures up. If your kids are under 18 and they put their real age when they signed up then no one over 18 can view their page. they can also put their pics on private view, so only their friends can view their pics. they can also put their whole page on private instead of public. I dont think its dangerous I just believe you should monitor your kids.
1 person likes this
@lanlan011 (701)
• United States
11 Sep 08
Oh ok. I dont think she should put her kids on there. If I had kids I wouldnt unless my profile is private and just for friends and I knew all of my friends on my friends list. I hope hers is private because it is important that the kids are safe.
@animeniak (425)
• United States
8 Sep 08
as long as your kids don't put too much personal information, it's really not dangerous. i used to have myspace account just to keep in touch with my friends, but i don't use them anymore, because my myspace friends i used to have they're not really my friends anymore...
yea there are some safety and security features in myspace, but don't take the word for it. once some myspace users do something stupid, even if there is security and safety features in myspace, that user will face some dangerous hackers out there.
so the bottom line is, you never post any personal information over the internet.. .
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
9 Sep 08
I have heard alot of bad things about Myspace. I do not have an account there but my daughter used to. I do not let her go there anymore after hearing alot of bad stories on the news about them. I would just beware and very cautious there.
1 person likes this
@carolbee (16230)
• United States
9 Sep 08
I have no interest in creating an account on Myspace either. Our kids are older but still don't like them posting photos of their kids on their pages. Hopefully they keep the information private so only friends and relatives can see the pages. Thanks for responding.
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
23 Sep 08
I think myspace is pretty decent. Long as they are careful on who they add as friends and whos pages they are visiting. I only add people I know in person and I'll delete any emails I get from people I don't know as well.
1 person likes this
@carolbee (16230)
• United States
23 Sep 08
After reading some of the responses in this discussion I asked all 3 of our daughters about keeping the site private. Only one has it set on private and probably because she's in the public eye with her career. The other 2 weren't worried. There are even photos of our grandkids on Myspace and that bothers me but it's their choice since they are grown. Thanks so much for responding.
@Wyldrose (1216)
• United States
9 Sep 08
Did you know that your myspace page can be set to private? That way, no one but your friends can see your page. Also the pictures can be set to private or to where the only ones that can see them are your friends. I have a myspace account but it is only for my kids and a few select freinds, so I have my pictures set to where no one can access them except the ones on my list. Hope this helps.
@di1159 (1580)
• United States
9 Sep 08
My kids both have myspace pages and in an effort to keep an eye on them, I made myself a page as well. This way, I have access to their friends and I can sorta see what's going on. It's not perfect and yes there are internet predators out there, but by being able to go in and chat, I have a bit of control as to who they communicate with. Education is the best remedy. I try to teach them to look out for strangers who want to establish friendship and I don't let them give out their myspace contact to anyone they don't know in person.
1 person likes this
@gitfiddleplayer (10362)
• United States
9 Sep 08
I guess its a choice of being safe or pretending to be safe. Anything that you put out there can be traced by your ISP or somebody who really wants to know about you. I don't have a myspace page or a facebook account. I guess I don't see the allure in it, but some people do.
1 person likes this
@sweethomecatring (1563)
• India
9 Sep 08
I think uploading personal and family pictures at my space may not be in the better interest of girls. Nat it does to the wrong hands it can create problems. Your concern is some how touching. Virtually sharing personal matters at internet is at all not safe. Hackers are here and there they can harm.
@Sarah1108 (310)
• United States
9 Sep 08
I have myspace. I find that some people on myspace are too trusting. I have had it for about 3 years now and are only friends with people i really know. Myspace can cause a lot of drama and a lot of stress. I think if your kids only approve people they know and watch what kind of info they put out they should be safe.
@Xdrowninghavocx (3117)
• United States
9 Sep 08
There is one feature that I do like. When a teen signs up they need to state their age. And if that kid is honest they will have helped themselves by blocking out everyone over the age of 18. I don't know if this is still present on Myspace, but someone over 18 can not search for someone below that age. I'm sure that helps a little.
1 person likes this
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
8 Sep 08
Hi carolbee,
I don't know much about MySpace and don't what is all about but I'm sure it will be ok but for the photos of the grandchildren, it could get into the wrong hands but then again it could quite safe, the best thing to do is get into guidelines and see what they have to say.
Tamara
1 person likes this
@hichamov (507)
• Morocco
8 Sep 08
hello
talking about myspace, it's like any other socialnetworking website, it's a place to share , dating and so.. for kids, i really think it's not a place for them, because there is a lot of Perverts people and Parano also, and kids are just answering with a kind manner, so tha people can take a profite of them innocence.
talking about the hackers stuffs it's another thing i think :) because none is safe in internet and all websites have a bugs somehow, in my space you can make your profile Private and add only Family to keep in touch and so...
@finer_things (260)
• United States
9 Sep 08
I'm not a member and neither are my kids. I haven't really heard any good things about MySpace. What about Youtube? My thoughts were negative at first, but they seem to have everything and anything on it. I think some of the stuff is actually useful. Does anyone know how to put parental control on Youtube or is that a silly question?
1 person likes this
@carolbee (16230)
• United States
9 Sep 08
I know even less about U-tube. I do know it's been great for bands, etc. who did their thing on the site and were noticed. I still have dial up so it takes close to an hour to download anything that is sent to me. I agree about having negative thoughts about U-tube at first but changed my mind. Thanks for responding.
@Alexandria521 (8)
• United States
9 Sep 08
I have a myspace page. I keep it private and only accept friend requests from people I know. I have pics of my kids on there and it's where I keep out of town friends and family updated.
If my kids were older (they are still babies) I'd let them have one, but I'd be looking to see what was on it and keeping a close eye on who was on their friend list.
1 person likes this
@arewayne (30)
• United States
9 Sep 08
Myspace is only as safe as the user. The site gives people the ability to put very personal information out for the world to see and privacy isn't its main concern. The way to make myspace safe is to educate children and teens that use the site. They should be directed to never put information on their site concerning where they live or what school they go to. It's up to parents to frequently monitor their children's site to ensure pictures, blogs and other items are tasteful and safe.
1 person likes this
@carolbee (16230)
• United States
9 Sep 08
Our kids are adults and know they use good judgement when it comes to these kinds of sites but don't like the idea of photos of our grandkids being posted on Myspace for the world to see. Could be dangerous. Thanks for responding to this discussion.
