Social Networking in the News

I read a news report of two studies that appear in the January issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. The studies deal with teens, risky behaviors, and MySpace profiles.  The results were interesting but not necessarily surprising.

They found that 54 percent of the profiles contained information on risky behaviors, with 24 percent referencing sexual behaviors, 41 percent referring to substance abuse and 14 percent posting violent information.  The encouraging news from the second study was when the users were sent an email from a physician suggesting the changing the displayed information, 14% removed the information on risky behavior.

In response to the report, US News and World Report ran a great article with hints for parents on Mastering MySpace Dangers.  The jist of the article is this.  Parents must be involved in their child’s online experiences.  I agree wholeheartedly.  But what about those kids who don’t have parents to fill this role.  That is where the Church must step in.  We can help fill the void by teaching parents and other adults in the church about online safety issues.  We can also offer community workshops to reach out to our neighbors who don’t attend regular church activities.

Even though a recent report from the Internet Safety Technical Taskforce says some of the risks have been overstated by the media, the risks are still very real.  Check out MyCrimeSpace.com if you need a reminder.