I have a network with a bunch of machines but they all go thru a stand along proxy server that is the main firewall does virus scanning and content filtering and handles all the printers and alike. It works very well and I don't have to keep that close of an eye on what my kids are looking at on their machines..The server will send me an e-mail and tell me if they attempet to go to a non-suitable site. It is a subscription thing and I have had it for a number of years and I concur with its lists and you have a lot of control of topics allowed and not allowed ( it self updats every 4 hours so it stays current as well).

Anyway, my 14 year old is asking me to "unlock" myspace.com so he can create a place there. I told him I am not really crazy about the site and I am not going to rush to allow software to let it thru. I think his friend just called and said...you got to take a look at soandsos myspace site because he hung up the phone and bolted to his machine.
(I checked myspace out (I have super user priv) and to me it is sort of scummy. Some sites and are fine some clever but some are boarderline and not something I want my kid spend a lot of time gawking at. (sort of like me with sb.com :rollem: )

Anyway, do you let your kids do this thing? He claims all the kids do it and I am I being too restrictive. I told him well...its my network and I say no. But then I said I would talk it over with your mother but don't hold your breath, she is more restrictive then I am.

It seems like an intro to on-line adult dating sites to me. But I could be wrong...

I see my server messages building... here is what one looks like:

This is an automated WEB FILTER alert message.

At Thu Mar 08 20:17:42 2007, the client machine "90.0.0.4" was blocked from connecting to www.myspace.com:80/.
This URL is blocked because the category Adult/Mature Content is configured as a restricted category.

no
15 and 12
and we just say no

12 and 14 year old here.....I caught one of them going on it and they were told if I see them on it they will lose all computer privelages! Nothing good going on in MySpace!!!

i get in touch with people from years ago because of myspace...i think its great for that. that said i would not let my kid sign up.

18+

Myspace is a great way to get in touch with old friends, and keep in touch with current ones. But not for the younger kids, I'd say 17 an over for myspace. Its quite addicting!

23,19,15 sadly all do. wife thinks they can handle it and still be ok. i think your right, keep em off it. the pics, language,influances, etc = BAD

Hell NO!!!!! Tore my 14 yr old twins' sites to shreds last year. Changed the passwords. Can't delete it as it's content is owned by myspace as soon as they hit the enter button. Daughter had signed on as an 18 yr old.... And you should see what some of their friends write!!!!!(I called one kid's parents and strongly urged them to review their child's site.) For a hundred bucks a perv can access all the kid's sites! The kids will tell you that "only my friends can see it." But it's a pyramid, so friends of friends, of friends, etc. There is no control, no positives for children, and plenty of bad stories of pervs contacting youngsters

not for kids...period...

Hell NO!!!!! Tore my 14 yr old twins' sites to shreds last year. Changed the passwords. Can't delete it as it's content is owned by myspace as soon as they hit the enter button. Daughter had signed on as an 18 yr old.... And you should see what some of their friends write!!!!!(I called one kid's parents and strongly urged them to review their child's site.) For a hundred bucks a perv can access all the kid's sites! The kids will tell you that "only my friends can see it." But it's a pyramid, so friends of friends, of friends, etc. There is no control, no positives for children, and plenty of bad stories of pervs contacting youngsters

I agree its not for kids, but the sites can be set to "private" so only people you know you can view it, they need to ask for your permission first before the can view your site. If used the right way, its fine. But kids wont use it the right way thats for sure! They dont see the dangers involved if not used properly. If thier site is not set as "private" Everyone on myspace can view everything on thier site. Kids dont understand that!

I'd let my kids have access to MySpace.com before they had access to SkipN.

-spence

I'd let my kids have access to MySpace.com before they had access to SkipN.

-spence

:devil:

Emphatically no - my son is not old enough yet but with all the stuff I see at school - ain't happenin' .

Say No to My Space:skulz:

Myspace is a great way to get in touch with old friends, and keep in touch with current ones. But not for the younger kids, I'd say 17 an over for myspace. Its quite addicting!


I agree, i've seen some of these 13 year olds on there pretending to be 16 or 17 and they're posting these s--tish and wh--eish pictures, i honestly can't stand it.. i use it mainly to keep in touch with friends, and during the summer to tell the people that work with me and my mom [she owns her own landscaping business and a few of my friends work] are working. I do agree its addicting but its to the point where I don't care about myspace, and go on maybe once a day compared to the 6 times a day. :bl2:

deffinitely i would understand 18+, i'd appreciate it more.

I agree with all the NO's. But your kid is a teenager and if his friend has access to the site, he'll most likely create an account there. I know when I was a kid, the word 'NO' just meant find a way around it.

3 and 5 so not an issue yet. lol

When they start surfing the web I have no idea what I'm going to do....I'll have a plan before then. (I hope)

i dont' get how its addicting... its like checking my email? what am i missing?

I agree with all the NO's. But your kid is a teenager and if his friend has access to the site, he'll most likely create an account there. I know when I was a kid, the word 'NO' just meant find a way around it.

Hmmmm. I'll check into this.:lasso:

myspace is so 2006....

it will just be something new in a few months.

if not sooner..

however, i find it to be a great way to spy on and blackmail my teenage sister.. Sure... go ahead and post the pictures of you doing a kegstand.... it just means you WILL be babysitting for me next week...

9 and 12 no freakin way .

10 and 13 and not a friggin chance....nothing good happens on myspace. If you want to keep in touch with your friends talk to them at school or pick up the phone.

and all their internet access in the house is done right at the kitchen table where we can see it.

12 and 14 yr old girls...HELL NO!!

11 year old has no interest in anything but IM'ming. We caught our 17 year old and found links to a bunch of her friends and shutdown her operation. That being said, I'm not sure. She's smart and leaves nothing up and running when she leaves her PC. Then again, she knows she has an overprotective parent who will pull the plug on her PC permanently if I were to audit her PC and find something.

From what I see in a School District - no way, nexopia is even worse..


Sites to check:

http://www.noslang.com/top20.php

When I find my notes I'll add some more.

I was thinking before getting my layoff notice about what would it take to offer a service for parents to maintain their home networks for appropriate content / activities - perhaps I'll need to revisit this :hee:

John, that's a very good idea. We frequencly get flyers from school cautioning againse letting kids use myspace, pointing out the potential dangers that kids don't realize. I'd be willing to bet if those flyers had something on them like, "If you are unsure of your child's use or would like to retain the services of a professional who can audit your child's use of or prevent access to sewrvices like myspace.com, contact Big Bad John at ...."

My girls are 12 & 8, myspace is blocked. Our 12 y.o. got in trouble for acting up on IM, we took it away for two weeks and she hasn't asked for it back yet and that was about 6 mos ago.

We had a meeting once at the middle school where we invited some people very involved with these issues, a Principal from another district, a task force of island police officers that have extra training for this kind of problems. Notices went out to parents and about 8 parents showed. Their were more people involved with putting the presentation together than there was targetted audience - a shame...

No...Facebook.com is MUCH safer and still is social networking.....

My kids are in their mid 20s so threats won't work.:laughs: I sometimes check out what my neices and nephews are doing and rat them out. :angel: They think that their parents are clairvoyant or something..

There are software programs which allow you to see every key stroke, which allows you to not only see where the kids have been on the web, but you can also replicate their IM messages, both sent and received. My daughter says that is an invasion of privacy... I say when she hits 'send', it's out there for anyone who has the technology to get it.

I would go with the BIG NO. There may be cool stuff on myspace, but lots of potetial problems with online preditors ects.. My son is 13 and we do not let him use it. I work at a middle school, the police have done some assemblies for the kids, lots of bad stuff for youngsters. Some adults who use it ,are really computer savey, and could track down where you live ect..

Wow there are alot of paranoid parents out there, if your kid has a good head on there shoulders they should know right from wrong, and should make the right decisions. Most of the trouble happens to kids that there parents have no clue what they are doing.

personally I think it is all crap I had my marriage of 26 years fall apart to this internet thing granted it takes two and I understand that. but it is a tool that makes it easy to fall prey when someone is telling you what you want to hear. my .02 :realmad:

Same here

Jim,
I told my 14 year old daughter NO,
But it's tuff, because our 14 year old girl next door has her own page on that site. Funny part is her mother is a KId's shrink doctor! :kewl:
Crazy ahhh.
VB

I'd just say no. The first thing all kids say is "all my friends are doing it".

The first thing they say is all the friends are doing it.
The correct response as a parent starts with "If all your friends jumped off a bridge.....?"
I don't have any kids but my answer would be "absolutely NFW"
All of my friends are on it. Most are mid to late thirties.
Great way to find the people you went to HS with.
Haven't seen in 10 or 15 years.
Kids? No way.
My 2 cents.

I used the "all the friends are doing it" excuse once. ONCE. First time I got caught with a bag of grass.
I got the "open hand,small of the back" answer.
Last time I ever tried that.