Practicing safe 'Net: Social Networking Sites and the Blame Game

When it comes to the safety of our children, or sometimes the lack thereof, it seems that we are always looking for someone to blame. If we aren’t blaming television, it’s the movie industry and if not the movies then it’s that darned rap music. Now we are all looking to social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook to make sure our children are well protected. However, I cannot help but wonder: when it comes to protecting our children online, who among us really holds the responsibility?

I won’t attempt to argue with the fact that Myspace is crawling with sexual predators and even I must admit that it is next to impossible to tell simply by looking at a profile if the person you are speaking to really is who they say they are. Furthermore, although I certainly believe that social networking sites should do everything in their power to keep the sites predator free, the real responsibility falls squarely and solely, in my opinion, on the shoulders of parents.

Social networking sites are safer than many, if not all, social settings in the real world. In reality, there is always a possibility of danger, even if you do everything in your power to remain safe, even with adequate supervision. However, online, this possibility can be totally eliminated. I believe this is the point that the Author of “Myspace Not Responsible for Predators,” is trying to stress, parents need to take responsibility for making sure their children are practicing safe net. With adequate supervision and the appropriate safety measures, social networking sites are perfectly safe places to communicate with friends and loved ones.

I was not very sheltered as a child, hoewever, one thing my mother made sure I always had plenty of was common sense. If we teach our children right from wrong, and arm them with the tools they need to protect themselves online and in the real world, we would be able to finally stop this silly blame game.