GIRL, 14, SUES MY SPACE

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2005
GIRL, 14, SUES MY SPACE
12
Tue, 06-20-2006 - 12:34pm

I thought this was interesting, below I've supplied the link to the story. The girl is suing my space over not taking sufficient steps to protect underage members. Hmmmm. What do you say about that?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200233,00.html

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Avatar for mjaye2002
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 06-20-2006 - 1:15pm

As much as I dislike websites like MySpace, etc., they are what they are. And, not being a computer whiz or knowing much about the website itself, I really don't know exactly what measures they can take as a website to make it safer. (Not saying they can't, just that I don't know what it would be.) I agree with the chief security officer that it is a "shared responsibility". As scary as it all is and with children having the "it will never happen to me" syndrome, I'm just not sure it can be policed enough thru the website itself. And, as we can all atest, we cannot police our children 24/7. We try, we moniter, we talk, we do our best, yet things still happen. We tell our children the dangers of driving too fast, yet many, many people are killed every year because of speeding. Yet, we don't sue the automakers simply because we don't heed warnings. This, in my mind anyway, is akin to suing McDonalds for making someone fat.

My heart goes out to the young girl, and others like her, but I just don't believe that suing MySpace will accomplish what they want it to accomplish.

ok. Y'all can lambast me now. :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2005
Tue, 06-20-2006 - 1:24pm

Actually, I agree with you. But hopefully if nothing else the lawsuit will educate more parents, because I have to tell you that not all parents know what is going on. For instance, H.'s parents are again, as always head buried deep in the sand about this as well as everything else. They are clueless, and I doubt they are the only parents out there who are...

Avatar for suzyk2118
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-30-1997
Tue, 06-20-2006 - 1:29pm

ITA. Made me think of the pregnant woman who sued Jack Daniels (I think it was!) for losing her baby (I think!) since she drank a fifth a day while pregnant, or whoever sued McDonalds (or whoever it was) for getting hurt by the hot drink because there was no warning on the lid. Although there's merit to doing what someone can to mitigate any safety/health issues (and believe me, as an engineer who makes medical/surgical equipment, I'm VERY familiar with this!), people really do have to monitor themselves, and if kids can't, then the parents need to keep a closer eye or put on some type of restrictions to minimize such risks.

Sue

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-25-2006
Tue, 06-20-2006 - 1:32pm
no lambasting from me :) i totally agree. what exactly is myspace supposed to do???? they have no way of preventing someone from lieing about their age nor do they have any way of preventing someone from giving out their phone number. how she could have been that stupid is beyond me to be honest (NOT that i don't feel for her mind you so calm down) but that is taught over and over again in school even if it isn't taught at home. my son is obsessed with myspace. i debate with my self about it. it is questionable but not because myspace is at fault. it is the users and the environment that can get out of control. i monitor my son, his site and his friends' sites almost daily. i will be very disappointed if myspace loses this suit. remember the "fear" people once had of "big brother" watching? now it's like people are demanding it.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Tue, 06-20-2006 - 2:40pm

This has got to be every parent's nightmare, no doubt. But I too, feel this is a shared responsibility and a 14yo's participation in a venue like MySpace needs to be monited by an adult.

While there are plenty of members out there who use MySpace appropriately and with integrity, there are just as many who don't and I think anyone who becomes a member of one of these sites must know that. It's in the news every day, just about!

I followed the link on the Fox News page to the story about the Michigan teen who tried to fly to Jericho to meet up with the 'fiance' she had met on MySpace. ??? She was picked up in Jordan and returned home. How in the world did that girl leave the country without anyone knowing? We lived in the middle east for five years, and owned a travel agency after that. It would have extremely difficult for that to have happened with all the restrictions and regulations in place, particularly for a minor and especially to the middle east.

Coincidentially, I've been on MySpace a time or two in the last couple days. I've seen the pages of a lot of the kids DD went to middle school with and only a few are set to private. Most of them, you can find out what city they live in, what school they attend, whether or not they are in summer school, what mall they are going to on Saturday, what movie they are going to see and where etc. Just too scary for me.

One of the few girls DD is still in contact from middle school with seems to spend waaayyy to much time on this stuff. I have a sign-on and DD uses sometimes so this friend sends all these messages and bulletins to DD via my sign-on. There are 2-3 posts from her nearly every day. One of her pics has the caption "MySpace is sooo addicting!" I'll say.

 

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-26-2006
Tue, 06-20-2006 - 3:28pm

She's an idiot. You're fourteen, use the brains you have & all the times you've heard before that meeting people on the internets isn't safe.

A 14 year old is responsible enough to know that. She is an idiot - or very smart since she is probably going to get a bunch of money.

Avatar for mily12
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-18-2003
Tue, 06-20-2006 - 5:50pm

These types of lawsuits really make me mad. It is not the fault of My Space that this 14 y.o volunteered her personal information to a total stranger and then by her own free will, chose to meet the man. My Space did not provide the personal information nor did it arrange the meeting.

Where were her parents during her online encounters? Shoudn't they be held more accountable for their daughter's actions than My Space? Even then, I'd argue that if the girl has the mental capablilties to be online and then to provide a profile on My Space, she has the mental capabilities to know that meeting a total stranger is wrong and that it could result in harm. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened. I'm not suggesting that she deserved to be assualted. I'm only saying that it is wrong for her to pass the buck and blame My Space for her own lack of judgement.

We live in a world filled with danger and we all need to heed the warning and then take responsibility for our own actions.

Mily

Avatar for mily12
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-18-2003
Tue, 06-20-2006 - 5:53pm

>>ok. Y'all can lambast me now. :)<<

As you can see in my post, I agree with you. I don't agree with those who pass the buck and try to blame others for their actions.

Mily

Avatar for mjaye2002
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 06-20-2006 - 5:57pm

re: > > I'm only saying that it is wrong for her to pass the buck and blame My Space for her own lack of judgement.< <

Well said!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-19-2003
Tue, 06-20-2006 - 11:15pm

Well before there was anything like the internet or myspace there were a few high profile child abduction/murder cases I can think of in my area. One was a 12 yo girl who was lured by a man claiming to be a photographer who gained her trust and got her to meet him somewhere for a "photo shoot". She wasn't found alive. Another was a young 13/14 yo boy who was with his brother in the inner city and was lured by two young men with the promise of a job for some quick cash if he'd help them move some stuff. Again...not found alive. Then there'd be the coaches who abuse their athlete students and the teachers in a position of trust and the trusted family friend and so on and so on and so on.

The internet is just the latest in another place or avenue that sickos can go to find victims. You can't blame the media for the message. I don't know how any technology that accepts registration from members based on filling out an electronic form and having an email account could do anything to filter out either (a) younger members or (b) weirdos.

Sheesh, not even the government can ensure that someone doesn't get your credit card and birth certificate and passport and assume your identity! And you all know how much work it is to get all this stuff! NOTHING is foolproof. What would myspace and similar site DO exactly to ensure that their younger members are protected and that people say who they are on websites? Run them all through some security check? Ask for a DNA sample? What exactly???

The thing is danger lurks EVERYWHERE -- and as long as websites take reasonable measures to edit unsuitable content or detect members who are widely trying to attract attention and very clearly post safety and conduct rules on their sites -- there's nothing more they can do.

I'm not a huge fan of litigation of this sort...

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