Anyone can create a MySpace account, causing concerns about safety and privacy. Several weeks ago, officials in Oregon reportedly arrested a man for allegedly attempting to rape a 12-year-old girl he met on the site. This is not the first report of a pedophile or child predator using the site to sexually solicit youngsters. Teens have been punished for abusing the site. A Costa Mesa middle school student faced discipline this year for allegedly posting racist and graphic threats against a classmate.
While nothing to that extreme has happened in La Cañada or La Crescenta, school officials have been taking precautionary steps. LCHS PTSA President Karen Mathison said MySpace was the feature topic at a March meeting led by the school's security officials.
"We wanted parents to be fully informed about what this site is about and how they can approach their kids about it," Mathison said, adding that the childhood rule of not talking to strangers applies to this situation.
"This is a very real issue, and our children are at risk," warned Greg Krikorian, a member of the Glendale Board of Education. Residents of western La Cañada attend Glendale Unified School District schools.
He wants parents to use www.isafe.org, a site that gives parents tips on how to keep their children safe online.
Kathy Hernandez of the LCF Education Foundation spoke about MySpace at the 7/8 PTA on Tuesday. She also has a page on her website dedicated to giving parents tips on MySpace.
"I want parents to have an idea about what their kids are looking at," she said. "[It] can be a very effective way for people to stay in touch … [but] it's very easy for predators to find and contact unsuspecting youth, and for kids to cyber-bully one another."
