Parents, not MySpace, to Monitor Kids Online
A U.S. court ruled that MySpace isn't responsible for protecting children online, but that parents have a duty to monitor computer activity.
The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Sam Sparks, according to MTV News, is the first time a federal court has extended the same free-speech protection that Internet Service Providers (ISP's) get to a social networking site.
The case involved a 13-year-old girl who met a 19-year-old man on MySpace. The girl lied about her age on MySpace, and after a dinner and movie date, the man allegedly sexually assaulted the girl in a parking lot. The parents of the girl sued MySpace parent company News Corp for $30 million on the grounds that the site didn't do enough to protect users.
There are at least 4 other similar cases pending, and parents are angry about what's happening on social networking sites. And even though the Internet can pose risks for children, this ruling sends the message that parents are ultimately responsible for what their children are doing online.
Internet child-safety expert Parry Attab understands why parents are angry, but that, "[It's] not MySpace's role to raise your child." Judge Sparks ruled that MySpace couldn't be held liable for what its users do any more than other sites like Yahoo's message boards.
MySpace has voluntarily put safety measures in place including parental control software, public-service announcements, and hiring a chief safety officer. Sparks felt that MySpace shouldn't be punished because their voluntary safety measures failed, and Sparks didn't want to discourage other sites from trying to protect users.
Sadly, none of this changes the fact that a child was sexually assaulted. But perhaps this case will make more parents aware of their responsiblities when it comes to child Internet safety.
Frequent communication, explicit rules, and computer monitoring software can help parents protect children online. WebWatcher parental control software is a good option for parents who want monitor what their kids do online. WebWatcher can record websites, monitor instant messages, record keystrokes and more.
WebWatcher helps parents stay informed of everything that happens on a computer.
The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Sam Sparks, according to MTV News, is the first time a federal court has extended the same free-speech protection that Internet Service Providers (ISP's) get to a social networking site.
The case involved a 13-year-old girl who met a 19-year-old man on MySpace. The girl lied about her age on MySpace, and after a dinner and movie date, the man allegedly sexually assaulted the girl in a parking lot. The parents of the girl sued MySpace parent company News Corp for $30 million on the grounds that the site didn't do enough to protect users.
There are at least 4 other similar cases pending, and parents are angry about what's happening on social networking sites. And even though the Internet can pose risks for children, this ruling sends the message that parents are ultimately responsible for what their children are doing online.
Internet child-safety expert Parry Attab understands why parents are angry, but that, "[It's] not MySpace's role to raise your child." Judge Sparks ruled that MySpace couldn't be held liable for what its users do any more than other sites like Yahoo's message boards.
MySpace has voluntarily put safety measures in place including parental control software, public-service announcements, and hiring a chief safety officer. Sparks felt that MySpace shouldn't be punished because their voluntary safety measures failed, and Sparks didn't want to discourage other sites from trying to protect users.
Sadly, none of this changes the fact that a child was sexually assaulted. But perhaps this case will make more parents aware of their responsiblities when it comes to child Internet safety.
Frequent communication, explicit rules, and computer monitoring software can help parents protect children online. WebWatcher parental control software is a good option for parents who want monitor what their kids do online. WebWatcher can record websites, monitor instant messages, record keystrokes and more.
WebWatcher helps parents stay informed of everything that happens on a computer.
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