MySpace.com is a popular social networking web site that has over 18 million users. It is free (supported by advertising) and anyone 16 years or older can join. The service provides web space for a journal, personal profile, photos, music and communicating with other members. Users can personalize certain features of their "space" and can link to other members.
Using this and similar services involves risk Millions of people, including sexual predators and other criminals, can participate anonymously. All information placed on these pages is public and viewable by anyone, not just by people in a "Friends List". People are sometimes naive or careless about sharing traceable information on their space, such as school name, personal photos, instant message handles, phone numbers and addresses. Authorities indicate that serial child molesters who once frequented playgrounds now look for victims on the Internet.
Besides the safety issues, there is the concern of opening yourself to the vulgarity and obscenities presented by others. People often express online what they would never say in person.
This latest fad exposes users to more strangers and is more risk laden than previous fads like Chat, IM, Free Websites and Email. Since teens are often unable or unwilling to "go against the crowd", parents may want to restrict or block access to certain online activities. As with other online activities, parents should:
educate themselves and attempt to keep informed of the latest teen activities
communicate their values and concerns with their teens
set and enforce limits on time and access to online activities
restrict or block access to specific services they deem risky and inappropriate
*Note: Champion Christian blocks online access to myspace.com and other popular journal sites to emphasize the primary educational purposes for school property and student's time at school.
Internet Explorer has what they call a CONTENT ADVISOR, which is a PARENTAL CONTROLS TOOL that allows you to block or allow access to specific websites, or even specific pages within a website. Here's how to use it:
In Internet Explorer go to the TOOLS menu and select INTERNET OPTIONS. Click on the CONTENT tab and click on ENABLE.
Four catagories are listed that you can control and sliding the bar all the way to the left is the safest setting for LANGUAGE, NUDITY, SEX & VIOLENCE. Click on the GENERAL tab and click the box next to "Users can see sites that have no rating." If this is not checked, you will have to manually allow each and every site that doesn't have an official rating (and many good sites don't). Occasionally something is blocked that needn't be, so leave the box checked that says "Supervisor can type a password to allow users to view restricted content."
Next, click the APPROVED SITES tab and type in BOTH good and bad sites, clicking on the ALWAYS or NEVER buttons to indicate whether they are restricted or not, e.g. www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi and then click on NEVER button. By the way, the above web address is the IMAGES tab on the main Google page. Inappropriate images are too easily accessed via this search tab and Web Filters often don't catch them either.
To block a specific web page, view the page in your web browser, select the full address in the Address box, copy and paste the address into the Content Advisor and click on the NEVER button.
Champion uses We-Blocker which is FREE and user-supported. It is available at http://weblocker.fameleads.com/ . It catches almost everything, is highly configureable and is kept current mostly by those who use it. This cooperative approach is a strength, in my view, since users that feel a need for such a tool tend to be conservative and protective.
Other tools include: Net Nanny , Dan's Guardian , Surf Control , CyberSitter , Cyber Patrol
The following article was created by Rick Schatz, president
and CEO of the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families;
Dr. Jerry R. Kirk, founder and chairman of the National Coalition for the
Protection of Children & Families and RAAP cochair; and Cardinal William H.
Keeler, archbishop of Baltimore and RAAP cochair.
The
Religious Alliance Against Pornography (RAAP) and the National Coalition for the
Protection of Children & Families (NCPCF) have been fighting the advancement
of our sexualized culture since the early 1980s when they were formed through
the strong leadership of the National Association of Evangelicals and leaders of
our church. During these years we have seen the horrendous destruction of lives
as explicit sexual content has become increasingly available through a variety
of technologies.
We
are writing because we know you care deeply about the well-being of your
children.
Teens
continue to be highly active sexually. One of every three girls has had sex by
age 16, two out of three by age 18; two of three boys have had sex by age 18.[i]
With grave consequences, our
culture today continually communicates that sexual involvement before marriage
is to be expected.
Today,
the U.S. has the highest rate of sexually transmitted diseases in the
industrialized world,[ii]
with our teenage children paying the highest price. Teenage pregnancy continues
to run rampant with 34% of young women becoming pregnant at least once before
they reach the age of 20[iii]—about
820,000 a year![iv] We dare not take this
lightly.
But
today, we stand on the brink of the greatest threat yet to our children. While
seemingly innocent, it could spell disaster for our children and grandchildren.
As we
are all aware, Hurricane Katrina recently hit the Gulf states of Louisiana,
Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia with catastrophic and deadly force. All the
elements necessary came together to form what some call a “perfect storm.”
The effects of this storm will continue to dramatically impact this part of the
country and our economy for many months, if not years, to come.
Sadly,
there were many warning signs that preceded Hurricane Katrina’s
landfall—warnings that far too few people heeded. As a result, Katrina created
added damage on a cataclysmic scale.
In much
the same way, another storm is brewing in our culture today and we ignore the
warning signs to our own peril.
We must
be careful to heed the warnings of this storm, to exercise the wisdom of knowing
and understanding all that is at stake. And we must act now
to “reinforce the levee.” Otherwise, the moral, social, and spiritual
damage that will be inflicted upon the lives of our children and families will
be immeasurable.
This
“perfect storm” about to hit our culture is current
advanced technology that facilitates the distribution of digital
video content via wireless handheld
devices.
·
All
the pornography on the Internet will be available
within months to all Americans including children and teens through these
wireless handheld devices such as video cell phones, iPods, and PDAs.
·
There
are no filtering or monitoring devices now available.
This means children and teens can access pornographic material with total
anonymity without parents or grandparents having any knowledge of it. And we
know from research and vast experience that this material is seductive
and addictive.
The
technology itself is not dangerous. In fact, we embrace this new technology. The
danger lies in the fact that there are no safeguards or regulations in place to
protect children and teens from being exposed to unwanted, explicit pornographic
content that is downloadable through these wireless handheld devices. And unwanted
pornography often leads to wanted pornography.
In
Korea and Europe, wireless video and television streaming technology is already
in place. And triple-X, pornographic content is the only content that is
presently generating profits for these companies. The same technology is coming
to America and will deliver the sexualized messages of the culture, impacting
our children and youth in very destructive ways.
Reports
suggest that Korea will be flooding the U.S. market with high-tech video phones
over the next 18 to 24 months, and U.S. cellular companies are already building
the infrastructure to accommodate this new technology.
You
are now making decisions about Christmas gifts for children and grandchildren.
Many of you are planning to give video cell phones, PDAs, and iPods.
We want you to know in the weeks before Christmas of the dangers you might
unknowingly be opening to your children and grandchildren by purchasing these
wireless devices before appropriate
protection can be developed.