Is MySpace.com Really to Blame for Online Child Predators?

We have all read or heard in the news how Internet Predators are stalking our children using sites such as Myspace.com and the copycat sites such as Mycrib.com. Unfortunately sexual predators are nothing new to the Internet. The problem is two parts. First how do we keep our children safe while online? And secondly, is it Myspace.com job to keep our children safe?

As the vice-president of the Missing Children Investigation Agency (MCIA) and a father of a nine year old daughter, I struggle with this question everyday. It’s easy to blame Myspace.com and sites like it for not monitoring their site and keeping our children safe. Myspace.com has over 40 million users. It’s impossible for Myspace.com to keep our children safe while using their site. It’s also impossible for you as a parent to keep your child safe while using Myspace.com. As a parent, no matter how much truth there is to the last two statements I just made, those answers just aren’t good enough.

At the age of nine years old my daughter isn’t on Myspace.com, but imagine my horror when she asked me if she could sign up for a Myspace.com account so she can speak with her OTHER nine year old friends online. My problem was that I was trying to approach this problem from the mind set of a parent. My first instinct was to take all possibilities of Internet access away from my daughter, So that she will NEVER get exposed to EVIL sites that expose my princess to these dangers. Of course this isn’t the answer. But what is the answer?