11Alive Home

 

 

Expert Teaches Perils of MySpace

Reported By: Blair Meeks

Last Modified: 4/21/2006 11:51:38 PM

The popularity of the web hosting site MySpace.com has been associated with several negative stories in recent months.

One such case happened in Metro Atlanta when police arrested a student who they say made a hit list and posted it on the website. It's prompted many calls for education on the subject.

There’s no doubting its usefulness, and now, there’s no doubting its danger as well.

Ken Leebow is an internet expert whose calendar is packed with people wanting to know more about being safe in social networking websites.

The sanctuary at Mt. Vernon Presbyterian School became a classroom on internet safety.

It’s a lesson Leebow has delivered dozens of times before, but in recent months it's become more urgent as social networking sites have exploded among young users, and bad things have followed those numbers.

“Six months ago, people didn’t know what these sites were. Fast-forward six months, and people are starting to educate, and the solution is not shut the sites down -- educate adults and kids about what the sites are all about,” Leebow said.

Parents learn first that MySpace is now the third most popular internet site in the world -- soon to climb to number one.

What’s scarier is that it’s a favorite place for predators and identity thieves to troll for information.

The point that’s driven home again and again is to limit personal information, and to make sure young people know that too.

Leebow says the rule of thumb on what information to put on these social networking sites is simple: Users should not put anything out there that they wouldn't want plastered on a billboard over the busiest interstate in the city.

Students learn that even if it's not a predator or ID thief that is lurking, the information itself stays on the web forever.

“They’re not thinking about the big picture,” said parent Lora Boniface. “They’re in there having fun and a lot of times in all innocence. But you just don’t know what can come of it.”

That’s an innocence that Leebow wants to offset through education.

[Link to Video]

[News 11 - Atlanta]

Worrysome Headlines

If you are certain that your child is safe, you can relax. For many parents, however, these headlines have become a horrifying reality:

This list of headlines could go on forever, but your child's innocence cannot. Spend time in your child's world.