Maintaining Privacy for Safe Networking in the US

By Valirie Morgan

Texas, US -- Only a decade ago, parents were nagging their teenage children to get off the telephone. In recent years, the expansion of the Internet has led to a social networking boom and an onset of problems for parents with teens who cannot seem to pull the plug on their web activities.

More than half (55 percent) of teenagers in the United States use social networking websites, according to a study conducted in 2007 by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

“I use social networking sites, particularly Facebook, to connect with my friends. I have rekindled friendships and made new ones,” said Cole Morgan, a 13-year-old from Dallas, Texas. “I learn new things every time I log on. I can connect and share things with my friends no matter how far away they are.”

Many social networking sites offer features such as instant messaging, sharing of pictures, videos, and other data files, music players, games, and customizable profiles for their users. The amount of content an individual can share with the online community is a reason for the increasing concern parents have voiced for the safety of their children.

“There are a few pictures of my daughter on her profile that I find questionable," said Susan Brown, a mother from Dallas. "It worries me that anyone can access all of her information with just a click.”

Social networking can be enjoyed and used responsibly, but many of America's youths have been accused of sharing too much of their personal information on the web. In several cases, online predators have made social networking risky.

Cyber bullying has also spread rapidly, leading to lawsuits and violent confrontations in real life. Most recently, a former student from Oceanside High School in New York filed a lawsuit against four of her classmates and Facebook for $3 million for alleged cyber bullying. However, children can safely reap the benefits of social networking, as long as they use precaution and understand the dangers of the Internet.

"I have my profile set to private so people I don't know can't find out personal things about me," said 17-year-old Caroline Smith of Cleburne, Texas. "I don't accept friend requests from people I'm not familiar with, and I don't ever put my address or things about my location or personal life. Basically, I surf the web using one rule: if it's something I wouldn’t want my grandmother to see, it shouldn't go up online.”