It’s difficult to find an individual who has not heard of MySpace. From tweens posing in their mirrors barely clothed to official pages for the most popular bands and comedians, the world of MySpace is a virtual socialization place for those of all ages from around the world.
So it’s no surprise that lurking in the corners are predators-people who think they can hide behind their computer screen and behave however they please. From sexual harassment to mental abuse, all it takes is a simple lie about date of birth for a young child to sign-up, or for an unlawful adult to prepare for a crime.
MySpace.com finally takes a stand this week and “has agreed with Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and 42 other states to add extensive measures” when dealing with predators using the site, according to the Associated Press. MySpace and other social networks will be invited to join a protection system that will be developing an age-verification process, among other innovative technology including independent monitoring of activity. All users under 18 will immediately have a “private” profile and parents will have the ability to block their children’s e-mail addresses so that they can not sign up for the site.
But can you really verify someone’s age, other than making the user promise his or her age with a mouse click? Would that have stopped the MySpace users that sent threatening and demeaning messages to Megan Meier, a 13-year-old girl from Missouri? A “16-year-old boy” lured Meier on the Web site. In reality, it was all females-most who actually knew the teenager-that used the account.
After friendly conversation turned ugly, Meier hanged herself when she was told that the world would be a better place without her. The “joke” was not funny. It took a year for her story to surface, but still, the legal aspects of the situation are uncertain. This is another road that MySpace administrators need to travel.
Sexual predators and harassers do not acknowledge the harm in their actions. They browse profiles of the na’ve or create false identities for practical jokes. If they do not understand the serious nature of their actions, then it will be quite difficult for them to be trusted with verifying their age.