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Website's Power to Overexpose Teens Stirs a Warning

Posted on: Thursday, 8 December 2005, 15:00 CST

By Matt Viser, The Boston Globe

Dec. 8--Principals of several Boston area middle and high schools are warning parents to rein in teenagers who are posting intensely personal information and, in some cases, provocative photos of themselves on a free Internet site.

The students, principals have said in letters and even in calls to parents, could become victims of predators.

One 17-year-old from the area posted photos of herself in her underwear on the website MySpace.com. Several high school students in Newton included poses of themselves holding beer cans, while some Newton middle school students lied about their age, principals said.

The creation of MySpace.com in 2003 and other similar sites in recent years has added another challenge for adults struggling to juggle safety concerns with teenagers' desire to explore the Internet. Internet safety specialists emphasized that parents should monitor teens' Internet use, but respect their space and warn them before checking their postings.

Parents and educators already worry about strangers preying on teenagers in online chat rooms and unearthing personal information through online questions. But now, teens are making it easier for predators by posting photos and feelings on easily-accessed sites.

Educators are highlighting MySpace.com because, they say, it has become the most popular of such sites among teenagers. The site, now owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., says it has nearly 42 million users and began initially as a place for independent musicians to market their music. Xanga.com and Livejournal.com also attract teens, but have about one-fifth the users of MySpace.

"It's just another more formal example of kids going on sites and not knowing who they're talking to," said Thomas Scott, executive director for the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents. "In this case, they're posting pictures and thoughts and taking it to another level. In the hands of the wrong people, it creates a bad situation."

To become a MySpace member, users must check a box on an online form saying they are 14 years or older. They can join a group, and converse with members within that group via instant messaging. Groups have different rules on who can join, and many are set up under a particular high school's name.

Spokesmen for MySpace.com did not return several e-mail messages seeking comment; the site doesn't list a phone number.

The terms of agreement that users sign before joining say that users of MySpace.com may not include telephone numbers, street addresses, or last names. The agreement also says that photos cannot contain "nudity, violence, or offensive subject matter."

MySpace lists 319 members in a Framingham High School group, 206 in a Marlborough High group, and 431 from Waltham High. Newton's two high schools have nearly 350 members, including 15 people in a group called "Newton South's Hottest."

Teenagers from area schools who use MySpace say it is as compelling as television reality shows. Through the website, they can gain insight into other people's lives, learning what they look like, what music they listen to, and what they like to do in their free time.

Principals at several area schools recently sent notes to parents warning that provocative photos can tempt a sexual predator, who could then use personal information on the site, such as what high school a student attends, to track a teenager down. They are also concerned that teenagers posting their inner thoughts could be used by anyone from a cyber bully to a college recruiter.

In September, a 16-year-old girl in Port Washington, N.Y., was molested after a man she met on MySpace tracked her down because she had listed her workplace on her online profile, according to a USA Today article.

Newton North High School's principal, Jennifer Huntington, said she doesn't think students fully understand the dangers of the sites.

"It can be a wonderful tool, but it also has its pitfalls," Huntington said. "And that's what parents should know about."

She said she also has concerns about the use of such sites reshaping school culture, with exchanges at night influencing what happens the next day in school. Several fights at school have broken out because of exchanges that began online, she said.

Hank Van Putten, principal at Oak Hill Middle School in Newton, recently sent letters home, telephoned parents of children using the site, and met with the entire eighth grade to warn students about some of the things they were posting.

"Although not a pornographic site, students were listing their ages falsely, and some included very provocative poses in less than full attire," he wrote.

Stacy DeBroff, who has an eighth-grade daughter at Oak Hill, said that the letter helped educate her about the site and spurred a family discussion about what is appropriate to post online. Her daughter did not have a site, but several of her friends did. Public school principals, in some cases, have advised parents to have their children remove certain photos and material, but they have stopped short of ordering students to remove postings.

Peg Mongiello, principal at Blake Middle School in Medfield, sent an e-mail to parents about the site last week.

"It concerns me when a child's picture, name, and address are so easily accessible to anyone searching the Internet," the e-mail said.

"Most kids at my school, contrary to popular belief, won't leave comments on their page that they're not comfortable with," said Joe Mann, a junior at Newton North. "We have our common sense to use our best judgment on MySpace. At the same time, we're just kids, and we want to put pictures up."

Mann, 16, has a site that is laced with profanity, but also reveals that his favorite number is 22 and that his favorite food is "whatever my grandparents make." His mother, Roberta Mann Driscoll, said she was comfortable with the things her son posted, including a photo of Patriots safety Eugene Wilson as the backdrop.

Mike Greene said he used the site to search for all girls in his age group within a 5-mile radius. As a result, the junior at Newton North ended up dating a girl from Cambridge for six months.

Several students said they believe some teens provide too much identifying information, but students said they didn't object to the posting of provocative photos. One of the best parts about MySpace.com, they said, is that it lets users do as they choose.

"Potentially it can be dangerous," Greene said of the site. "But it's up to the user."

Ellie Benner, a 16-year-old junior at Newton North, said she felt uncomfortable when people messaged her and said she was attractive.

She said she was "creeped out" and did not respond.

"If you're considered attractive or you have lots of photos," she said, "a lot of people want to be your friends."

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Source: The Boston Globe

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