Thank you everyone for your opinions on this. This issue recently came up with my 14 year old son. His dad had let him start a Myspace account and didn't ask for the password (this was without my knowledge....his dad wasn't hiding it from me....he just didn't think it was a big deal). I found out and demanded he turn over the password. My point was that the internet was not the place he was going to be allowed to have privacy. Because the internet is not private. His father and I need to be sure his profile is appropriate, that people we don't approve of are not contacting him and that he is safe. So, we now have the password and I think that is the right thing to do.

If a teen really wants to get away with something then they probably will. At least for a while. We can all tell of at least one time (probably more) that we did something bad and never caught as teens. We all pulled the wool over our parent's eyes from time to time. However, that doesn't mean that the parent should just give up and stop trying. As a parent, you try to stay on top of your teen as best as possible. Set boundaries, enforce them and the rest is up to the teen. It's part of growing up.

I agree. I feel that way about Facebook too.

They appreciate when they grow up!! They might now when they are going through it, but once they get their own life, they will thank us in the end!!
I DO have one great son and I am still making the other son just as great!!!
Congrats on your kids...it just shows what great Moms we are!! Keep up the good work!!!

As a parent we teach our children the rules, we tell them how to be respectable citizens...in the end, its up to them which way to go. BUT I am always right there pushing them to pick that right road...call me nosey and bossy, but atleast my boys were taught the right way!
The funny thing is as a parent, you know when your kids are doing something before they even do it! Honestly, I never did anything bad as a teen to get caught. I was a boring child BUT my parents were very proud of me!!

i was surfing thru facebook the other nite,and realized theres no security at all.

by clicking on peoples friends lists,and then their friends and so forth,i was able to hopscotch All over face book..some adults And teenagers have over a Thousand friends on facebook.
how do you really know! a thousand people online??!!
thats just insane.

now,if a computer illiterate such as myself can do this,just think what sick freaks who know what they are doing could be be up to on facebook.

My 18 yo dd has a facebook account and a Gaia account, my 13 yo ds only has a Gaia account. In the 5 years that my dd has had her Gaia account she never had any serious problems/safety issues. Ironically, the serious problem/safety issue encountered by my son was/is caused by a classmate he knows personally from school.

There are social networking sites designed for younger teens (Gaia is one) that may be a more appropriate starting point than Myspace. Either way, I agree with keeping the computer somewhere that allows you to view what the child is doing as you move about. I also told my kids that I had to have access to all their email/online accounts on request or they would lose that privelege and then at random intervals I'd tell them to log in and move away from the computer. They are/were allowed to watch what I was doing/explain questionable items as I encountered them and they'd watch what (usually) random emails/private messages I read/checked. If I found anything objectionable we'd discuss it and why it was objectionable and what they needed to do to correct it (if anything). If I found nothing objectionable then I'd thank the child for cooperating and either way we'd discuss any concerns the child had. Oh, and I always promptly responded when the child called with a concern about a message received or something similar.

I thought that was primarily who MYSPACE was marketed to,, that and adults still wanting to be kids,,,and their friends and relatives,,lol


like most parental issues though, its up to the individual how they wish to raise theirs

mine doesnt have any internet account I cant access because he has to use my computer to get on the internet in the first place and I have the magic power to DELETE it all if it comes down to it,,,

I dont care if I have acess to my sons myspace account.

He has one, and the only reason I have the password, is cos he came to me cos he could think of one.


Im confident I have taught him sense, and anytime something is wierd, or whatever... he consults me...

I check it out from time to time to see who he adds.. The whole net is dangerous.


Ya never know who the people are that they are adding to their friends list, even if the person says they are little kids.

What can ya do?

The best ya can.