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.

from the March 13, 2007 edition

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The site has also given users the option of blocking any visitors to their profile unless they're invited in. And MySpace's help page offers an array of answers to questions like: "Someone on MySpace is bugging/harassing/ threatening me – what can I do about it?" Or "How do I remove my child's profile from MySpace.com?"

While critics say these actions are well intentioned, they also contend they fall far short of what's needed. Their primary complaint is about a lack of verification to determine if users are giving the correct age. As for checks against state lists of sex offenders, critics say they're "useless" if a predator is using a false identity.

"With all due respect to MySpace, there are very few convicted sex offenders that are going to go online with their true identity if they're trolling for victims," says Attorney General Blumenthal.

The Connecticut bill would require networking sites to verify that a user either is 18 or older or has parental permission to have a profile. Dozens of Internet companies already provide age-verification tools. So this is how it would work: When a person provides information to a networking site, such as name, date of birth, or address, the site would put that information through verification sites, which would cross-check it against public records like driver's licenses, voter-registration information, land records, and local tax records. This process is already used for such things as online sales of alcohol and cigarettes.

"The technology exists; it works; we've tested it.... And if people want to use it, it's there," says John Monteleone, CEO of GrownUpsOnline.com, a networking site based in Southbury, Conn.

With such verification checks in place, it will be harder for criminals to use false identities online, Blumenthal notes. "That's because anyone claiming to be 18 can be cross-checked, and if they're using a false identity, it would be a fairly good sign that something would be amiss," he says.

But everyone in the debate does agree on one thing: Parents must be proactively involved with their kids if they're using the Internet. The websites of many attorneys general have tips for keeping children safe online. There are also sites – such as incredibleinternet.com, which was set up by Qwest Communications – designed to help parents navigate the online world.

"We should be excited by the personal, interpersonal, and intellectual growth that comes with the Internet's potential for creative communication," says Dr. Linda Young, a family therapist and consultant to Qwest. "But we also have to be sure it goes hand in hand with safety and responsibility and making sure that our kids stay safe."

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