My Space: A must read

[angelwing]

MY SPACE: A Must Read for All

EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ ALL OF THIS and HAVE CHILDREN READ IT TOO!

After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and get on-line. She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213. She checked her Buddy List and saw GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant message:

ByAngel213:
Hi. I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!

GoTo123:
LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you?
Don't you live in a safe neighborhood?

ByAngel213:
Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't see anybody when I looked out.

GoTo123:
Unless you gave your name out on-line. You haven't done that have you?

ByAngel213:
Of course not. I'm not stupid you know.

GoTo123:
Did you have a softball game after school today?

ByAngel213:
Yes and we won!!

GoTo123:
That's great! Who did you play?

ByAngel213:
We played the Hornets. LOL. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bees. LOL

GoTo123:
What is your team called?

ByAngel213:
We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really cool.

GoTo1 23:
Did you pitch?

ByAngel213:
No I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don't want them mad at me. Bye!

GoTo123:
Catch you later. Bye

Meanwhile.......GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel so far.

Her name: Shannon
Birthday: Jan. 3, 1985
Age: 13
State where she lived: North Carolina

Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall. Besides this information, he knew she lived in Canton because she had just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m. every afternoon until her parents came home from work. He knew she played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the eighth grade at the Canton Junior High School . She had told him all this in the conversations they had on- line. He had enough information to find her now.

Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ballpark that day. She didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball games. Parents were always overreacting and hers were the worst. It made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn't be so overprotective.

By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps following her.

Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely.

He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed the sudden fear she had felt.

After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of her shirt. He knew he had found her.

Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. It was only a few blocks to Shannon's home, and once he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car.

Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon's house. He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move.

Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room.

"Shannon, come here," her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa.

"Sit down," her father began, "this man has just told us a most interesting story about you."

Shannon sat back. How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today!

"Do you know who I am, Shannon ?" the man asked.

"No," Shannon answered.

"I am a police officer and your online friend, GoTo123."

Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible! GoTo is a kid my age! He's 14. And he lives in Michigan !"

The man smiled. "I know I told you all that, but it wasn't true. You see, Shannon , there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while others do it to injure kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to teach you how dangerous it is to talk to people on-line. You told me enough about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. You named the school you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The number and name on your jersey just made finding you a breeze."

Shannon was stunned. "You mean you don't live in Michigan ?"

He laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?"

She nodded.

"I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky. The guy found her and murdered her while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line. The wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there on-line. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you have done it. I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't do it again. Tell others about this so they will be safe too?"

"It's a promise!"

That night Shannon and her Dad and Mom all knelt down together and thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.

*****NOW****

EVEN FORWARD THIS TO PEOPLE WITHOUT KIDS SO THEY CAN SEND IT TO FRIENDS THAT DO HAVE CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN __._,_.___

[Derek Ortt]

More reason as to why young kids should NEVER be chatting online.

Nothing wrong with waiting until one is say 16 before venturing online (how old I was before I started using the internet, though that was mainly due to me being stubborn and resisting the new technology)

[Meso]

At 14 you definitely should have a choice whether to go online or not.. One has to be really stupid to give someone personal details to someone who could be anyone.. But there is more chance of being randomly abducted walking to the shop,than from someone online.Some children shouldn't be allowed online at certain ages..But 14 is old enough,I mean 14 is the age of consent in many countries... 11 or younger I think they may not be able to grasp the fact of the dangers of it...etc. And GRRR at chain letters!

[artist]

At 14 you definitely should have a choice whether to go online or not.. One has to be really stupid to give someone personal details to someone who could be anyone.. But there is more chance of being randomly abducted walking to the shop,than from someone online.Some children shouldn't be allowed online at certain ages..But 14 is old enough,I mean 14 is the age of consent in many countries... 11 or younger I think they may not be able to grasp the fact of the dangers of it...etc. And GRRR at chain letters!

Guess you didn't hear about the huge internet pedophile ring that was just broken up. Over 700 and that is just one of many they say. Meso - you are young enough to want to think it's ok, but some times kids just don't think. Like the one above.

[Meso]

I did hear about that... But also most online pedophile things are also their own children whom they exploit and then share.Not people that go around online and try gather girls personally details via Instant Message and then go and track them down.And yes,some kids don't think,but some 18+ year olds don't think either.But I bet I could dig out more cases on kidnappings from stores etc than from predators online that stalk someone.. And as for the letter above,I can bet money that it isn't real,There are tons of similar stories that are chain letters..Just with few words changed.Don't get me wrong,some people should not be able to go online,but one can't state an age for it really..especially not so high.. People have jobs at 15 and 16 that require internet knowledge too.. It should be up to each individual parent to see if their kid is actually smart enough to not do stupid things.

[gtalum]

If you completely shelter you kid from the internet, they'll be at a disadvantage to the other kids who know how to use it. Just set reasonable ground rules.

Meanwhile, this story is completely made up as a scare tactic. I hope nobody thinks it's true.

[Opal storm]

I agree with Meso you can't set a age limit on the internet really, i mean there's web design classes at high schools for 13-14 year olds. Parents/teachers have just got to teach them not to give out such personal info about themselves.

People in general ought to watch what they say online and only add people they know.

[prettywitty]

It's not a true story:

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/shannon.asp

[Derek Ortt]

Can we stop with this "it's OK" attitude


It is NOT OK. Kids do need to be sheltered, as they do not have the intellect to make many of the tough decisions (sorry to those who are kids here, but looking back on my experiences, it is the truth and you will realise it shortly)

14 being the age of consent? Remind me to never visit those countries. If my brother (who is now 5) is having sex at 14, he can be sure he is going to hear about it from me (and I will wish for the days of the woodshed as that is what a 14 year old having sex deserves) as that is beyond inappropriate.

I also said chatting online should be restricted to those 16 and older. A person can learn how to use the internet without chatting online, though they would not be at that much of a disadvantage as a monkey can figure out how to type in a web address, which is the essence of online activities (the more advanced features probably can wait until college). I again am speaking from experience as I was not at a disadvantage because I waited until after 10th grade to start regularly using the internet

[Derek Ortt]

even if its not a true story, the message is there


Ever watch those to catch a predator features on Dateline? Should hear some of what is in those chat logs

[chadtm80]

Weather it is true or not really does not matter does it? The fact is it could come true right? He honestly did get all the info he needs, and showed how effortless it really could be. The fact that this specific story is true or not is moot

[Andrew92]

Here's my take. I'm not a father yet, being 23 years old, but if I were a parent, my children would be able to use the Internet. However, they would not be allowed to have their own e-mail address until they got their driver's permit, at minimum. It takes at least having an e-mail address to IM other people. They would be lectured often about chat rooms as well, and I would not allow them to ever enter one.

I know this well. I got my driver's permit a couple months before I got my own e-mail address. I have entered into strange chat rooms a couple times as well, and people did try to get me to send out my information. I never did; in fact, it didn't take long for me to stop entering chat rooms for that reason. In addition, I had a friend who met a girl in a chat room. They agreed to meet up, and my friends and I thought he was absolute nuts. It ended up working out short-term for my friend and his chatroom girlfriend, but his new girlfriend was someone who we didn't like. He then proceeded to turn into a complete snot and lost pretty much all of us as friends.

That all aside, I can sorta relate to this story, as last year I was introduced to someone via Facebook and we soon began IM'ing each other for the summer. However, the person introducing me to her friend was someone who I at least was capable of trusting. While I had never met the guy, since he was introduced to me from someone who was trustworthy, we were able to easily make a friendship work out without harming any of our other friendships.

Basically, if you're introduced to someone on the Internet but the person introducing is a friend whom you trust a lot, that's fine. But I'd be very dodgy of trying to meet someone who you're spending a lot of time talking to in a chat room. They could very well be lying.

-Andrew92

[Derek Ortt]

excellent advice, Andrew92

The drivers permit is a good idea to get their own e-mail address; however, some copntrols should be set regarding the creation of web based e-mails (maybe have those sites blocked while they are online)

[Tropigal]

At 14 you definitely should have a choice whether to go online or not.. One has to be really stupid to give someone personal details to someone who could be anyone..

I disagree with you, I don't think a teenager that gives out personal details is stupid. I've worked with teenagers before and many of them are very lonely and end up looking for friends online and others don't really believe that bad consequences can be a result of their actions.

[Meso]

But many teenagers are lonely and end up sneaking out their windows and going to clubs and getting drunk and doing drugs.. are you going to shackle them to their cupboards? Regardless if one doesn't let their child chat they will just go to an internet cafe and do it.Yes,some things are bad,But again people are just so paranoid.It's way too overbearing.And I know stacks of people that age,and the mentality between a 14 year old and a 16 year old is not different.If they want to chat to someone online,they should be able to...without giving out addresses..Cause that's just beyond stupid..And if they plan to meet the person,do it in a public place with a parent near or aware of what's going on.Either way,trying to keep them off chat things would not work,I know if I were young and I was not allowed to,I would just go on one with my cell phone...This is something that you just have to accept,there are always ways around it,and trying to restrict a child from something like this,will just make them do it probably twice as carelessly behind your back.Luckily not that many people are actually stupid enough to do these sorts of things.. How many billion or something people chat online all the time and what percentage of them does something bad happen to.Like I said before more chance of being raped/kidnapped walking to the shop.

[Janie2006]

If you want true online horror stories, all you have to do is take a look at the Perverted Justice website (its easy enough to google it.) Perverted Justice is the watchdog group that got together with NBC to produce those "To Catch A Predator" specials. I think they do really good work.

The fact of the matter is, it would be easy in some cases for predators to track down teens and younger children through chats. Even if the story itself has been proven false, I think the point is largely moot. Good parenting skills go a loooooong way. I didn't face these threats when I was a child or even a teen (back in the '70s and '80s.) It's best to be pro-active concerning online safety. I think parents will be able to strike a happy balance between growing young people and the needs of safety. They've been pretty sucessful at it, given enough information.

[Tropigal]

Here's something interesting I found out a few years back and maybe you guys know this already, but I was quite surprised. If you know someone's last name and the Florida County they live in, you can access online; the layout of their house and property, the price they paid for their house, what their property taxes are, as well as other things about their property. You can also get information on what type of business they own, or if they were ever involved in being an officer in a business, even if the business is no longer in existence-you can access all the corporation filings online. It's all public information. There are ways of getting around this and loopholes you can create, where you can't be easily located, but that's another story.

A friend of mine who wasn't a teenager, she's in her 30's, posted on a message board over a period of time and thought she was being careful and another person on that message board collected all types of data and information about her from her posts, found her and came to her house.