MediaWise
with Dr. David Walsh:
MySpace and Your Kids
If you’ve never heard of MySpace, you
probably don’t have teenagers. The
online community has become the Internet’s
fourth most popular site. The site has over
51 million members, mostly in their teens
and twenties.
On MySpace, users post profiles, share music,
and meet new people. It’s the modern
day version of the corner drug store where
kids go to socialize, express themselves,
and hang out. Unfortunately, the site and
its young visitors are largely unmonitored.
Lately,
I’ve been getting more and more calls
about the site’s pitfalls. Like any
unsupervised electronic environment, MySpace
has been a conduit for cyberbullying. Being
cruel and mean is easier online without
the real-world social cues that keep some
of our worst instincts in check.
Other problems arise because MySpace is
the perfect place for kids to try out new
identities, sometimes completely false or
dangerously mature ones. What’s more,
lewd pictures, graphic language and mature
themes are the norm on most of the site,
which seems all but inevitable when teens
rub shoulders with young adults in their
twenties.
Although such cases are rare, an even more
serious problem with MySpace is the access
it provides to sexual predators.
To MySpace’s credit, the site has an
extensive list of safety tips and people
who administer the site monitor profiles.
But we can’t count on MySpace to protect
our kids. We need to talk to our kids about
the dangers of this and any online environment.
We need to let them know we’re interested
in what they do when they leave the house,
even if they’re still in the living
room.
Set ground rules for content. Kid-friendly
sites only.
Set a weekly time limit.
Talk to your kids about what they
are seeing and doing on the Internet.
Get to know the sites they frequent.
Visit and set up a profi le yourself
if necessary.
Remind your kids the people they meet
on the Internet are strangers.
Ask your kids about the people they
meet on the Internet.
Meeting Internet friends requires
a parent’s OK and adult supervision.
Make sure your kids’ online profi
les don’t reveal personally identifying
information.
Let your kids know sending personal
information is only okay with parental
permission.
Tell your kids not to respond to or
pass on e-mails, online conversations,
or pictures that make them feel uncomfortable
or are rude.
Back
to School the MediaWise Way!
The
MediaWise
Network can help get the school year off to a great
start with the new MediaWise Back to School Guide!
No matter where they come from or what they do, all
parents feel an enormous amount of pressure to equip
their kids with what they need to succeed in school,
both socially and academically. Companies spend billions
of dollars telling you what kids need and where to buy
it.
We designed the MediaWise Back to School Guide to help
you answer these questions: What do my kids really need
to succeed? Will a computer help my child in school?
What should I do about cell phones? Can kids study well
and chat online at the same time? How do I encourage
my child to read? And more.
Institute Joins International Conference
on Internet Safety
Institute President David Walsh, PhD recently joined
representatives from eight countries in Seoul, South
Korea for the fi rst International Conference on Youth
Protection and Empowerment in Cyberspace.
Participants discussed video game and Internet addiction,
online gambling, Internet predators, and Internet-related
child abuse. The conference representatives drafted
and signed a joint statement “on providing youth
with a safe, useful cyberspace.”
“The statement is a strong symbol of international
teamwork,” said Dr. Walsh. “It is something
we need to ensure our kids avoid the peril but still
experience the promise of the World Wide Web. It was
an honor to represent both the United States and the
Institute.”
Become a MediaWise Community!
Thousands of people hear the MediaWise message every
year in workshops and trainings across the country.
Even more visit www.mediawise.org. The National Institute
on Media and the Family is committed to providing every
one of you with the information, tools and resources
you need to create change in your home and community.
We understand that it can be hard to know where to begin
– that’s why we’ve created the MediaWise
Community Guide. This easy-to-read booklet lets you
know all the ways the Institute can support your efforts.
Visit www.mediawise.org and join the MediaWise
Network to request a MediaWise Community Guide today!
Holiday
Shopping...Too Early?
It’s never too early to think about your holiday
shopping…or at least that’s what the ads (and
those already decorated stores) say. And they are right!
It’s never too early to think carefully about your
child, and what a gift might mean for him or her.
Some advance planning will help you resist advertisers’
calls for you to buy “the latest best thing.”
These gifts are often the ones that shortchange your
child. Here are some things to consider:
Will the gift inspire your child’s imagination
and creativity? Does it have long-lasting value?
If you are thinking of a video game or movie video:
Is the content designed for your child’s age?
Avoid content that has graphic violence or sexual
themes.
Does the gift fi t your budget? Does the gift
fi ll your child’s need or want?
You can help us help families
Future research and outreach efforts would not be possible
without continued support.
The Institute accepts donations via mail, telephone, and
online:
Editor:
Monica Walsh
Writing and Design:
New School Communications
National
Institute on Media and the
Family
606 24th Avenue South, Suite 606, Minneapolis,
MN 55454 Toll-free 888.672.5437
Fax 612.672.4113 Web site www.mediafamily.org
Individuals and organizations are encouraged
to print and distribute copies of this newsletter.
Please call for permission to republish any
of this material.
The Institute’s mission is to maximize
the benefits and minimize
the harm of media on children and families
through research, education, and advocacy.
Lately,
I’ve been getting more and more calls
about the site’s pitfalls. Like any
unsupervised electronic environment, MySpace
has been a conduit for cyberbullying. Being
cruel and mean is easier online without
the real-world social cues that keep some
of our worst instincts in check. 
The
