"Talk to you on Myspace!" a girl calls to her friends as she jumps into her mother's car. Myspace is a free, international Web site with millions of profiles of people from around the world. Virtually anyone can use it. I created a Myspace account last fall, after hearing how great it was from some of my friends. And it indeed has been a great way to reconnect with old friends, to network and keep in touch with close friends and relatives who live far away.
As I searched for people on Myspace, I began to discover an intricate extension of youth culture.
Suddenly I had access to hundreds of profiles of high school and middle school age teens, many of them kids that I know. As I read through these profiles I was somewhat shocked by what I found. Judging from some of the things I witnessed on the site, I doubt that most parents are aware of what their kids might be up to in the Myspace universe.
There have been too many tragic incidents reported recently in the news. Minors are targeted; they meet up with predators and end up disappearing, or worse. Adolescents are using Myspace, posting personal information and pictures to share with their peers without understanding that there are predators on-line. In many cases, these predators are posing as teens themselves, in order to take advantage of minors.
Myspace can be used by anyone, no matter what age. There are many adults using Myspace or sites like it. Many of these adults use the site as a way to get sex. In my own Myspace account, I've received many disturbing messages from perverted men, as have many of my friends.
What's scary is that many of the girls on-line are calling attention to themselves by the pictures they are posting. Some wear provocative clothing, or little clothing at all; they strike provocative poses, trying to look sexy and act much older than they are-or should. Men (usually older) leave disturbing comments on these girls' sites responding to these photos, saying things like "I shouldn't be thinking what I'm thinking right now, god, you're only 16" or "baby I can do something with u."
Along with these messages are the messages teens leave for each other. Their communication is distinctly their own, a language created for their understanding alone, to keep hidden and separate from adults.
On the surface, these messages can seem harmless and fun, just regular teen banter; however, some of the messages seem to contain an underlying meaning or intent. Whether that is planning on going to the next big party and getting wasted, or attempting a get-together with friends to chill out using illegal substances, kids are doing these things right under the radar screen.
Myspace is free, so advertising is everywhere. I open up my account and immediately find three Victoria's Secret ads on the page. There are singles ads, displaying cleavage as the focal point. And we can't forget Jessica Simpson's legs, prominently displayed in her Daisy Dukes, with the question repeatedly blinking: "Whose legs are these?"
Sex sells. It is there for all eyes to see, including teens, on a daily basis. I've also stumbled across profiles of women, including teenage girls, clothed in next to nothing. After I reported these pictures to Myspace, the company responded that such things clearly fall within their guidelines of acceptability. Pornography is illegal, but there are hundreds of soft-porn type profiles and pictures on their Web site that apparently "fall within their terms of use."
I did some research and found that the minimum age required to create a Myspace account is 14. However, Myspace does nothing to verify this, making it easy for teens to lie about their age. There are means to report underage users, and I know teens that have had their accounts closed down. However, they can simply create a new account the next day.
You might say: "Oh, but these aren't our kids!" Yes, they are. These aren't just kids around the country, in other cities and states, or even other parts of Seattle-these are kids from right here in our community.
There are pros and cons to using Myspace, but only people who are responsible enough to use it in a respectful and appropriate manner should use it. Youth under 14 should not be using it at all.
In this case, teens need to be shown the truth of Myspace and other sites like it, and what precautions need to be taken-not only for their personal safety but also to protect their hearts and minds from the trash that is thrown at them on a daily basis.
Myspace does give adults the chance to see what is really going on with their kids, and possibly help create opportunities to truly understand what teens are thinking and feeling.
It's sad that Myspace covers their rear-ends by claiming they aren't responsible for anything that happens, including with minors. That's a cop out disguised as defense of the First Amendment. In the end, however, it is up to parents and other caring adults to discover appropriate solutions to protect our kids.
Ashley Marshall works as a teen mentor at the Magnolia Community Center. She can be reached at mageditor@nwlink.com.[[In-content Ad]]
