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There are a number of good things on the Internet today.  However, there are also a number of bad things out there, just waiting for innocent teenagers to join in.  One of these  bad things are Social-networking websites such as the popular My Space.  I encourage you to learn everything you can about this trendy website to help you decide whether or not it is a good thing for your teen to spend time on.  Here is a "must-read" article/blog (web log):  http://www.wiredsafety.org/internet101/blogs.html. 

I urge you to set limits on your child's Internet usage and sit with them from time to time so you can become familiar with what you child is doing on-line.  If your child is nervous about you looking over his/her shoulder why he/she is on the Internet or while e-mailing, perhaps he/she is doing something they know you wouldn't approve of.  Here is some advice to parents, taken right off My Space:

For teens, MySpace is a popular online hangout because the site makes it easy for them to express themselves and keep in touch with their friends.

As a parent, please consider the following guidelines to help your children make safe decisions about using online communities.

• Talk to your kids about why they use MySpace, how they communicate with others and how they represent themselves on MySpace.
   

• Kids shouldn't lie about how old they are. MySpace members must be 14 years of age or older. We take extra precautions to protect our younger members and we are not able to do so if they do not identify themselves as such. MySpace will delete users whom we find to be younger than 14, or those misrepresenting their age.
   

• MySpace is a public space. Members shouldn't post anything they wouldn't want the world to know (e.g., phone number, address, IM screen name, or specific whereabouts). Tell your children they should avoid posting anything that would make it easy for a stranger to find them, such as their local hangouts.
   

• Remind them not to post anything that could embarrass them later or expose them to danger. Although MySpace is public, teens sometimes think that adults can't see what they post. Tell them that they shouldn't post photos or info they wouldn't want adults to see.
   

• People aren't always who they say they are. Ask your children to be careful about adding strangers to their friends list. It's fun to connect with new MySpace friends from all over the world, but members should be cautious when communicating with people they don't know. They should talk to you if they want to meet an online friend in person, and if you think it's safe, any meeting should take place in public and with friends or a trusted adult present.
   

• Harassment, hate speech and inappropriate content should be reported. If your kids encounter inappropriate behavior, let them know that they can let you know, or they should report it to MySpace or the authorities.

Click Here to remove your child's profile from MySpace

Taken from Parent Tips for Parents on MySpace.com

Learn how to keep your kids safer on the Internet on these informative web sites:

Lynn Vatthauer
Information Technology Coordinator
Red Lake Falls Public School, ISD 630

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