When was the last time you looked at your teenager’s Facebook or MySpace page? 

I gave my daughter permission to join these social networks with the understanding that I would look at her pages regularly. Of course, she doesn’t like the idea and sulks when I’m standing over her shoulder as she shows me the latest postings. No other parents do this, she claims. She isn’t going to do anything foolish, she promises. She has a right to some privacy, she whines. I just ignore it. We adults must know what’s going on with our kids on the internet. 

We’ve all heard about the internet sexual predators that befriend our teenagers and then harm them. It’s a worrisome issue. I was encouraged this week after reading a news story indicating that new state laws are making it easier for the Facebook and MySpace folks to purge convicted rapists and molesters from their membership lists. At least 25 states now require sex offenders to register their email addresses and residences. New York officials announced that more than 3,500 offenders have been knocked off the networking sites since their law went into effect. 

I started wondering what officials are doing here in North Carolina. They’ve acted on the issue and in May began requiring sex offenders to register email addresses.

A lot is stake for our kids with all this rapidly changing technology. I don’t mind being unpopular with my daughter, a high school freshman, on the issue of internet safety.  When I was a teenager I remember being angry with my parents for setting what I considered strict curfews. They didn’t budge. I won’t change my mind either about checking in with my daughter on Facebook and MySpace conversations.

Related posts:

1. Privacy on Facebook