Lindsay Lyon of U.S. News has an excellent followup to the study we reported on Tuesday with a thoughtful list of 10 tips for parents.
MySpace Dangers: 10 Tips for Concerned Parents
January 9th, 2009Shocker: Kids talk about sex, drugs, and violence
January 6th, 2009In a 2007 study that probably surprised no one, 54% of 18 to 20 year-olds mentioned or had pictures of “risky” behavior on their MySpace page.
When the young adults were warned about the potential risks of having such material posted, 42% removed the risky references from their page. It turns out they were more likely to remove sexual references, perhaps to avoid further embarrassment.
For those that are interested, the studies will appear in the January edition of the American Medical Association’s journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Teen KILLS dad after blocking MySpace
March 6th, 200815-year-old teenager Hughstan Schlicker decided to kill his father after his father blocked access to MySpace.
Schlicker said he often spent entire days on MySpace and couldn’t cope when his father cut off his access to the site.
“It felt like I was stabbed with a knife and it went straight through and … no matter how hard I pulled, I couldn’t pull out the knife,” Schlicker said, according to an interview transcript in the police report.
As with any disturbing case, one can only guess as to what exactly was going through this kid’s head. Was he simply a crazed MySpace addict, or was there more below the surface? In the article he says he hated his father. Perhaps there was some form of domestic abuse, and using MySpace was his way of disconnecting himself away from his home life, and when that was shut off, he simply snapped. Who knows. Our thoughts are with the Schlicker family during this very difficult time.
Here is the article and video of the teenage killer.
Parents monitor MySpace page and bust daughter’s drinking party
March 4th, 2008This is from the “lesson learned” file.
Parents who were monitoring their daughter’s MySpace page found out that she was hosting a drinking party while they were out of town. The parents called the police and 29 underage drinking citations were filed.
Mother Finds Naked Photos of Daughter on MySpace
February 20th, 2008Talk about an embarrassment. A 13-year-old girl’s mother was included in a mass emailing that linked to photos of her daughter posing nude on MySpace.
Apparently, the young girl’s ex-boyfriend sent the picture to a friend and this friend “punished her” after a falling out.
MySpace Rape Arrest
August 17th, 2007Sean Lennon of Ravena New York was arrested and charged with rape of a 14 year old girl.
Investigators said that the girl went willinging after the predator went through the grooming process to break down her initial resistance.
State Police Investigator Joe Donohue suggested that parents monitor the MySpace activity by moving the computer from their bedroom to a public spot where they can be watched.
A quick search turns up two profiles that fit the description. Disclaimer: The linked profiles may or may not be the scumbag mentioned in the article.
Stupid Criminals: Brice Chase Edition
August 15th, 2007In what may become a series on this blog, today the feature is on 19-year-old Brice Chase of New Hampshire.
Already on probation for a robbery in 2006, Brice thought it might be a good idea to show off his weapon collection on his MySpace profile (a handgun and two swords). His profile also featured his illegal drug preferences. A tipster notified the authorities and his probation officer (Officer Charles Wolfort) decided to pay him a little visit.
Upon arrival, they found the weapons and evidence of drug use. Tada! Parole violation!
A quick MySpace search turns up one profile that fits the description. Disclaimer: This may or may not be the Brice Chase featured in the article (but probably is).
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