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Is Myspace.com or FaceBook.com Safe?  

It concerns me that so many parents ask me about MySpace and FaceBook that writing some thoughts down would be useful to help clear up the subject a bit.  The question I have been confronted with often is "How safe is Myspace.com & Facebook.com?" While this is a broad question, it really depends on it's user. Anybody that posts a picture of how "sexy" you are and list your actual physical home address, telephone number, email, etc. is just asking for a predator to show up at their front door.  On the the flip side, it does give kids a way to express themselves to others. Their favorite band, movie, places to eat, etc. It allows for virtual social time with others as well. Personally, I believe everybody should spend time in the real world as well as online, balanced.

So parents, the bottom line is to be a little nosey, check out your kid's MySpace/FaceBook page and see if there is any questionable material on the page. It's your house, your rules. Complement them with what looks good, and be constructive if there is something that seems borderline or over the edge. Constructive means to say I don't like this item, couldn't you substitute it with something else like...... Coming down on the kid's for something they like doing will only kindle rebellion.

Alternatively, you could install a Internet filter such as Bsecure.