MY CHILD’S KEEPER

This week, I do not mind being candid with my views, considering that our topic is social networking. I am not at all impressed by this new medium of communication, and while I do not particularly find any value in it for myself, I will acknowledge that others seem enamored by what they can do. The problem that I have with social networking websites relates strictly to children under the age of eighteen. As a conscientious parent of a teenage son and a pre-adolescent daughter, I am considerably suspicious about the safety of children who visit or have accounts on websites like Facebook or MySpace. In fact,
I am more worried about the predators who navigate these websites, looking to inflict harm on innocent children. Just last week, I had an intense conversation with a complete stranger while waiting in line at Nordstrom. She was a mother of a teenage daughter, who had been recently been targeted by a pedophile on her My Space account. The pervert had gone as far as to arrange a date with this child, and it was only the actions of jealous teenage suitor who informed this mother that her child was in danger. Moreover, this pervert had covered his tracks so well that the police could not assure this mother that he would never contact her child again. As responsible parents, we condemn other parents for using television to entertain their children, so why are we not more vocal about letting predators entertain children on these websites.

I am just as equally concerned about protecting my children from predators on the web as I am with protecting them from predators that they may encounter on our suburban streets. Problems with social networking sites extend beyond my concerns here, but for the time being, I will continue to knock any website or medium that does not effectively provide security for children.