States scrutinize minors' security on MySpace

Connecticut could become the first state to require social networking sites and chatrooms to verify a user's age.

By Alexandra Marks | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

from the March 13, 2007 edition

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NEW YORK - The girl is 11 and from Connecticut. The man is 23, from New Jersey. They met on MySpace, the social networking website, in 2005.

Last Tuesday, the man was sentenced 14 years in prison for using MySpace to set up a sexual encounter with the girl.

It was one of a half-dozen documented cases this past year alone in which older men used such Internet sites to set up sexual encounters with minor girls in Connecticut. There are dozens of similar stories in every state in the Union, as well as frustration in law enforcement that the federal government isn't doing more to stop it.

As a result, Connecticut has become the first state in the nation to introduce legislation that would require MySpace, other social networking sites, and chat rooms to verify the ages of their users. Any postings by those under 18 would require parental permission. Failure to comply would result in a fine to the Internet company of $5,000 per incident.

The goal is for the law to become a model for national legislation. As many as 20 state attorneys general are now considering similar bills.

"The basic idea here is that the parents should be empowered, and they should be put back in control if their children are below a certain age," says Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who's leading the fight for this type of legislation in Connecticut and around the country. "That's why age verification along with parental permission is key."

While sites like MySpace and Friendster are designed to let users share ideas with friends and make new friends, critics say it's also a way for potential criminals to make contact. But MySpace, with more than 100 million users worldwide, insists it's committed to protecting teens online. And it has set up an array of tools to help, including blocking software.

However, MySpace is opposed to the Connecticut bill, saying it is "well intentioned" but "not the answer." In a statement, MySpace's chief security officer, Hemanshu Nigam, said, "The most effective means to protect teens online is through a combined approach involving features and tools to make our site safer, educating our users and their parents, and working collaboratively with online safety organizations."

Still, in response to previous criticism and federal legislation, MySpace has started working with groups like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to verify users' names against lists of convicted sex offenders. It also has limited the site to people 14 and older and set up a special restricted section for 14- and 15-year-olds.

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