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Site Draws Teens -- and Predators

Posted on: Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 12:00 CST

By David Gambacorta, Philadelphia Daily News

Feb. 22--Click, scroll. Click, scroll. That's all it takes for sexual predators to find potential victims on MySpace.com, a social Web site that's become a digital hub for teens eager to make new friends online.

Parents, cops and experts are increasingly worried that MySpace's youngest members unwittingly put themselves in harm's way by posting their photos and personal information on the free site.

While other social Web sites also raise concerns, MySpace has garnered attention by its sheer size. It now has about 55 million registered users, and roughly a quarter of them are teens.

Police in Middletown, Conn., are investigating reports that as many as seven underage girls were sexually molested by men they met on MySpace. The men, in their 20s, pretended to be teenagers.

Police recently arrested a 37-year-old man in New York for allegedly molesting a 16-year-old girl he met on the site. A 27-year-old Raymond, Maine, man was convicted of sexual misconduct stemming from a relationship with a 14-year-old girl he met on the site. And a 16-year-old Newark, Del., girl is missing, and her mother believes she may have run away with an older man whom she reportedly said her daughter met on MySpace.

"It's a smorgasbord for predators," said Frank Farley, a Temple University psychologist. "[Kids'] anonymity is just dropping away. That should scare all of us."

Teens are anything but scared about MySpace. When approached, a group of Upper Darby High School students gushed about their ability to connect with people around the world through the site's blogs, chat rooms and categorized groups.

They all admitted to having highly personalized MySpace Web pages that list their hobbies, schools and favorite bands and include photos of themselves and their friends.

None expressed concern about safety because of MySpace profiles, although some noted that they've been approached by members who ask to meet in person.

"Yeah, you'll hear from someone saying they're your age or a woman who wants to do a threesome with her husband," said Chelsea, a 16-year-old sophomore. "But you know it's like some old guy. I just ignore them."

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office regularly does undercover work on the site, said spokesman Kevin Harley.

"We haven't made any arrests based on that work, but we have talked to a lot of 'curious' people," Harley said. "We know predators spend a lot of time on there."

The Santa Monica, Calif.-based MySpace.com, which was purchased last July by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., for $580 million, has announced plans to appoint a "safety czar" to oversee the site's operation.

"MySpace holds the safety and privacy of its more than 55 million users of paramount importance," MySpace wrote in a statement in response to questions from the Daily News.

"We take the national attention to online safety very seriously and we will continue to operate and enhance our already existing comprehensive series of safety guidelines and solutions, which we believe represent the best practices in the industry," the company statement said.

MySpace requires new members to enter a date of birth, and no one under 14 is permitted to use the site. An automated search engine sifts through profiles to identify underage users, the company says. Users under 16 are protected so that their personal information cannot be accessed by people they don't know.

Teens and authorities, however, said it's easy to get past the obstacles.

Lt. Joe Dougherty of South Detectives spent last week searching for a 14-year-old South Philadelphia girl who disappeared after her family said she lied about her age on MySpace, making her profile available to older users.

Although the girl turned up safe, Dougherty said the case should have raised a lot parents' eyebrows. "You have to be mindful of what kids are doing on the computer," he said. "They could be inviting trouble."

MySpace has made headlines for its connection, however abstract, to violent acts as well.

Lititz, Pa., teen Kara Beth Borden ran away with her boyfriend in November after he murdered her parents. Both were MySpace users. And four Lumberton, N.J., teens were arrested last week after they posted a videotaped fistfight on MySpace.

Authorities are also upset that pornography is readily available to teens who wander around the site. Groups like "We Love Porn!!!" and "Porn Addicts" can be found easily on MySpace and boast thousands of members.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said he was "appalled" at the way MySpace polices its pages. He called the site "a parent's worst nightmare."

Blumenthal said his office is working with MySpace to ensure that underage kids aren't exposed to porn, noting the company is mindful of how negative connotations could hurt its cash flow.

"Their revenue comes from ads from major mainstream companies," Blumenthal said. "I'm sure those organizations have no interest in endangering children."

Farley advised parents to monitor how much time their kids are spending on MySpace, which, according to USA Today, has become more popular than online hot spots Google and Amazon.com.

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Source: The Philadelphia Daily News

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