That's it! My kids are not getting internet access!

[Froberg]

With more and more people living their lives on the web, there should be stricter enforcing against this kind of abuse.

But we can't keep the kids from the web, soon it'll be mandatory in pre-school. Just you wait.

[VulcanRider]

This story's got a little more detail.

A federal indictment accuses Lori Drew, 49, of O'Fallon, Missouri, of using the social networking Web site MySpace.com to pose as a 16-year-old boy and feign romantic interest in the girl. Drew faces up to 20 years in prison on charges of conspiracy and accessing protected computers to obtain information to inflict emotional distress. The indictment, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, accuses Drew and others of registering on MySpace as "Josh Evans" and using the account to lure Meier into an an online romance. Authorities have previously said that Drew set up the account to find out what Meier, who lived in her neighborhood, was saying about her daughter. Prosecutors allege that Drew and the others violated MySpace's terms of service by using false information to create the account so they could "harass, abuse or harm" Meier, according to the indictment. ... "This adult woman allegedly used the Internet to target a young teenage girl, with horrendous ramifications," U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien said in a written statement. "Any adult who uses the Internet or a social gathering Web site to bully or harass another person, particularly a young teenage girl, needs to realize that their actions can have serious consequences," O'Brien said.

If they get a conviction she'll never get the full 20 years, but she needs to spend time behind bars.

[Bungleau]

Thanks for finding a better story, VR. The part that gets me is that there was an adult involved... someone who *should* have known better.

[Kakero]

How can you control your child from internet access? You can ban them from using the computer at home, but outside they can still go to the net at cybercafe/school/friend's hous etc etc.

[Neo the Warrior Cat]

Originally Posted by Kakero How can you control your child from internet access? You can ban them from using the computer at home, but outside they can still go to the net at cybercafe/school/friend's hous etc etc.

Schools are usually strict to the point of interfering with actual school-project related searches about which sites are banned. (Seriously, I could never do any research at school due to the filter they used) It varies from school to school though.

Cybercafe is dependent upon transportation. They or a friend needs a car, or they navigate the bus system (har, it would likely take them a good hour or two).

Friend's house is the most unregulated. You have to TRUST the friend's parents. If you feel you cannot trust them... don't have your kid spend the night over there. Simple as that.


While you can't regulate every port of access, this does not relieve you of your duty to regulate the ones you CAN.

[Kakero]

Originally Posted by Neo the Warrior Cat Schools are usually strict to the point of interfering with actual school-project related searches about which sites are banned. (Seriously, I could never do any research at school due to the filter they used) It varies from school to school though. Cybercafe is dependent upon transportation. They or a friend needs a car, or they navigate the bus system (har, it would likely take them a good hour or two). Friend's house is the most unregulated. You have to TRUST the friend's parents. If you feel you cannot trust them... don't have your kid spend the night over there. Simple as that. While you can't regulate every port of access, this does not relieve you of your duty to regulate the ones you CAN.

Last time I remembered (around 12 years ago when I was in Pre-U) school's internet access are not restricted. You can access any websites you want, yeah even porn.

Cybercafe are usually around the corner of your neighbourhood. It'll take like 10 minutes to walk there. With $1 you can have a computer with the internet for 30 minutes. The cybercafe owner don't care which website you enter.

Friend's parents? If you yourself can't control your child's internet session. What more of their parents?

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

I feel like a horrible person even saying this, but, um... this is why she killed herself? Over this? Then it stands to reason that if it wasn't over this, it would be over something else, and it wouldn't be noteworthy, much less on the news and discussed all over. Why are we all beating our chests and talking about how horrible this woman is? Because she was an adult and should have known better? Adults drive kids to kill themselves all the time. I'm not sure why this is such a big deal.

Edit- And seeking "changes" to "safeguard" people... That seems to smack of those idiot warnings you see on things. You get one bad apple, and now all of a sudden we need to be told not to drink the Drano or use it as a flotation device. Check.