On Sunday, April 9, Dateline NBC aired a report on Myspace.com. I did not see the report, but heard about it through the Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA) listserv. One of the members provided a link to the report online. The report involved a 30-year old police detective, Detective Dannahey, who created a fake MySpace profile as 19-year old “Matt,” and entered into conversations with three teenage (14-16 years old) girls. The girls thought they were using MySpace safely and their parents were fairly involved, and yet, all three invited “Matt” to be on their “friends” list. This was a very eye-opening report. Information that is revealed by some young people on this site is exactly what a sexual predator could use to gain a young person’s trust and friendship. Regarding a 377- question survey that one of the girls posted to her account, Detective Dannahey said, “if I really was a predator, that would be just the kind of information that could, maybe years ago, take me months talking to you to get that kind of information.” After reading this report, it is apparent that young people can easily reveal personal information without realizing it, and they may not be diligent enough in their screening of people who they invite to be “friends.” As librarians, it is important for us to understand MySpace, how it works, and to educate parents and teenagers on how to use it safely. The report gave the following safety advise: “Whatever social network your child uses there are easy steps you can take to reduce risks: Monitor your child’s profile regularly, keep photos and personal details off, and put your child’s computer in an open area.” It may not be appropriate for everyone, especially young people under the age of 18, to put it all “out there.”
This report and other information on MySpace can be found at http://www.msnbc.com/id/12242009/ .
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