Teen, mom sue MySpace.com for $30 million

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/06/20myspace.html

<H2>Suit filed in Travis County claims popular Internet site fails to protects children from adult sexual predators.

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By Claire Osborn
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, June 20, 2006

A 14-year-old Travis County girl who said she was sexually assaulted by a Buda man she met on MySpace.com sued the popular social networking site Monday for $30 million, claiming that it fails to protect minors from adult sexual predators.

The lawsuit claims that the Web site does not require users to verify their age and calls the security measures aimed at preventing strangers from contacting users younger than 16 "utterly ineffective."

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I do not think My space is responsible for what her child does. It is up to the parents of this child to know who she is with and what she is doing. It looks like the parents are looking to blame somebody else for their bad parenting.

csds703 said:

I do not think My space is responsible for what her child does. It is up to the parents of this child to know who she is with and what she is doing. It looks like the parents are looking to blame somebody else for their bad parenting.

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It looks like they are looking for some easy money. I hope that they get slapped down.

They have got to be kidding.

The mother didn't do her job by knowing what her child is doing so it's a websites fault?

I know how some feel about myspace, but come on, common sense would tell you to know what your kid is up to. How many times do they have to be told to keep the pc in a central location, learn the lingo, use a timer with your kid, heck, talk to your kid. If my local podunk news has stories on it I'm sure others do. And if you are net savvy enough to turn your pc on you can't miss the info about it.

If someone is looking for the internet to babysit their kids, they are looking in the wrong place. This could have been yahoo just as easily....unless they want to feed me a line of bunk saying she only used yahooligans for little kids all on her own? I got news for those that think it's just myspace. It's the whole internet! They can lie about their ages as well as the younger ones can. They troll disney sites, beauty sites, sites geared for teens, heck I've even ran into them in the one place people start their internet experience..AOL. Yep, constant contact there! So shall I sue AOL for not knowing my 12 year old logged on?

I'm sorry she was traumatized but lay that blame on the man and the mama, not an end user application like the internet and a place her mother should have known she was on to begin with.

I know it sounds like I'm blaming the girl. I'm not truly, it's the parents who allow their kids access and have no clue what is going on in their kids lifes that get to me. Stupidity is no excuse in this day and age. Information is everywhere. And yeah, this is a hot topic for me. I'm not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree but even I know to watch my kids, on and off the internet, and not lay blame on a website for my oversight.

I totally disagree with suing my space. Both of my kids have a my space. It is set to private, and I have their passwords and can look at it anytime I wish.

I actually check it almost every night to see what they are talking about and who they are talking to. I delete questionable posts. I delete friend requests that aren't from kids that they have met, I know, or don't go to the schools here in our area.
Just the other day my daughter had a request from some 22 yo guy in Florida. Deleted that sucker right away.

My kids know if I don't have access, the computer goes on lockdown.

When are these parents going to take ownership for what their kids are doing? Honestly, If my kids ran off to meet someone older I would be asking myself what I did wrong to not be aware of the situation - not freaking out on My Space. I swear I could be a private detective after all the investigations I have done regarding what my kids are up to.

My kids call it an invasion of privacy - I call it you aren't entitled to privacy until you realize that people are not always what they seem and the world isn't the perfect place that you have dreamed up in your head. When you are ready and able to take precautions to ensure your well being and safety then I will hand over the reins. I love and trust my kids (for the most part) - its the other people out there that know that some teens are vulnerable that I worry about.

I agree with all the posters here, it's up to *we* parents to keep our children safe, to know where they are, to teach them caution (without scaring them to death). On the other hand, I also believe that something should be done about myspace.com. It's totally out of control...I don't think the majority of parents have a CLUE as to what they're kids are doing on there. My daughter let me crusie through the site one day and I was blown away by what I saw. BABIES (in my eyes) presenting themselves in such an *inviting* manner. I feel these kids (most anyway), simply want to impress their friends and be accepted, but if they had any idea of the attention they're drawing to themselves by so many people they don't know.......................well, anyway, I think it should be shut down or monitored daily by adults. Anything inappropriate should be grounds for being banned from the site and having the parents contacted. This law suit is just the beginning in my opinion....................but I know, I know, as my 19 year old would say "chill!". :crazy:

Good goin 2luvmy.....
Love that delete key.....hehehehe

TopGunner said:

I agree with all the posters here, it's up to *we* parents to keep our children safe, to know where they are, to teach them caution (without scaring them to death). On the other hand, I also believe that something should be done about myspace.com. It's totally out of control...I don't think the majority of parents have a CLUE as to what they're kids are doing on there. My daughter let me crusie through the site one day and I was blown away by what I saw. BABIES (in my eyes) presenting themselves in such an *inviting* manner. I feel these kids (most anyway), simply want to impress their friends and be accepted, but if they had any idea of the attention they're drawing to themselves by so many people they don't know.......................well, anyway, I think it should be shut down or monitored daily by adults. Anything inappropriate should be grounds for being banned from the site and having the parents contacted. This law suit is just the beginning in my opinion....................but I know, I know, as my 19 year old would say "chill!". :crazy:

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I don't see anything wrong with scaring them to death. Kids need to know what's out there. My 11 year old daughter was upset because I wouldn't let her hang around outside with two girlfriends one day. I brought her here to Websleuths and took around the "Missing" forum with her. Showed her the girls her age that were missing and where they were missing from. The school bus stop; walking home from a friend's house; walking home from school; walking home from the store. She now knows why I say no, she's not going to be walking around outside by herself and tells any of her friends that want to that their nuts.

2luvmy said:

I totally disagree with suing my space. Both of my kids have a my space. It is set to private, and I have their passwords and can look at it anytime I wish.

I actually check it almost every night to see what they are talking about and who they are talking to. I delete questionable posts. I delete friend requests that aren't from kids that they have met, I know, or don't go to the schools here in our area.
Just the other day my daughter had a request from some 22 yo guy in Florida. Deleted that sucker right away.

My kids know if I don't have access, the computer goes on lockdown.

When are these parents going to take ownership for what their kids are doing? Honestly, If my kids ran off to meet someone older I would be asking myself what I did wrong to not be aware of the situation - not freaking out on My Space. I swear I could be a private detective after all the investigations I have done regarding what my kids are up to.

My kids call it an invasion of privacy - I call it you aren't entitled to privacy until you realize that people are not always what they seem and the world isn't the perfect place that you have dreamed up in your head. When you are ready and able to take precautions to ensure your well being and safety then I will hand over the reins. I love and trust my kids (for the most part) - its the other people out there that know that some teens are vulnerable that I worry about.

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:clap: Very well said. My kids know that everything they do, mom needs to be able to have access to. They don't have myspace accounts, nor with they ever. It is not Myspace's responsibility to know what these kids are doing and whether or not they are lying. It is the parents respsonsibility and nobody else's. Have these people not watched these show's about the we surfing pervs?? It doesn't take a genius to know that if you leave your kids to surf the net unsupervised that they are vulnerable to these creeps. I guess she'll win Mom of the year somewhere (in her own mind, I'm sure) Harsh?? Yes, I'm being harsh, am I sorry...Noooooo. Plain and simple, she dropped the ball and now wants somebody else to PAY for her mistakes.

Don't you know that "personal responsibility" and accountability are "bad words" in society.

Blaming others for your "mistakes", shortcomings, bad decision, poor judgment, poor parenting, are like so much more attractive, because OMG otherwise you have to accept some sort of blame.

So much easier to blame others.......more opportunity to "hold" others accountable for your character, plus to make a buck......

Give me a freaking break! This has everything to do with personal responsibility. It is the parent's responsibility to monitor the child. Talk about frivolous lawsuits. . . This case will never go to trial. This story really makes my blood boil!:furious:

Ummm, yeah, so mom, let us know how this all turns out for you. You have now let everyone know that you really don't know how to be a good parent or an honorable one!

Geeesh....dork.... :doh:

Lynie

Did the mom give permission for the girl to be picked up at school by this "boy" that she'd never met?

BhamMama said:

They have got to be kidding.

The mother didn't do her job by knowing what her child is doing so it's a websites fault?

I know how some feel about myspace, but come on, common sense would tell you to know what your kid is up to. How many times do they have to be told to keep the pc in a central location, learn the lingo, use a timer with your kid, heck, talk to your kid. If my local podunk news has stories on it I'm sure others do. And if you are net savvy enough to turn your pc on you can't miss the info about it.

If someone is looking for the internet to babysit their kids, they are looking in the wrong place. This could have been yahoo just as easily....unless they want to feed me a line of bunk saying she only used yahooligans for little kids all on her own? I got news for those that think it's just myspace. It's the whole internet! They can lie about their ages as well as the younger ones can. They troll disney sites, beauty sites, sites geared for teens, heck I've even ran into them in the one place people start their internet experience..AOL. Yep, constant contact there! So shall I sue AOL for not knowing my 12 year old logged on?

I'm sorry she was traumatized but lay that blame on the man and the mama, not an end user application like the internet and a place her mother should have known she was on to begin with.

I know it sounds like I'm blaming the girl. I'm not truly, it's the parents who allow their kids access and have no clue what is going on in their kids lifes that get to me. Stupidity is no excuse in this day and age. Information is everywhere. And yeah, this is a hot topic for me. I'm not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree but even I know to watch my kids, on and off the internet, and not lay blame on a website for my oversight.

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(emphasis mine) :clap: :clap: Excellent post, BhamMama, and I agree with all of it!! Unfortunately, the world (and therefore the internet, with all of its access) is a scary place and not safe for kids who aren't supervised.

This afternoon my son was on his myspace account (Which is set to private and I have the password and check his account regularly) and he got a msg from some "Girl" telling him she is 16, a model and that she thinks he is cute and she'd like to be his friend. He told me right away and fowarded the msg to my account (Our computer is in the den and I was sitting on the sofa in there reading a book) and I messaged the person and told them not to msg my child again.

I have always been very open and honest with my boys about prediters so they are both pretty paranoid when it comes to getting a msg from someone they do not know.
I hate to scare a child or create unneeded fears but this is the world we live in and it is my job to prepare them for the world they live in.

A 13 y/o kid down the street from me has a computer in his bedroom and was never taught about the dangers lurking online. I have no doubt that if the "girl" who msg'd my son had msg'd this boy he would have been excited that a 16 y/o wanted to be his friend.

OneLostGrl said:

This afternoon my son was on his myspace account (Which is set to private and I have the password and check his account regularly) and he got a msg from some "Girl" telling him she is 16, a model and that she thinks he is cute and she'd like to be his friend. He told me right away and fowarded the msg to my account (Our computer is in the den and I was sitting on the sofa in there reading a book) and I messaged the person and told them not to msg my child again.

I have always been very open and honest with my boys about prediters so they are both pretty paranoid when it comes to getting a msg from someone they do not know.
I hate to scare a child or create unneeded fears but this is the world we live in and it is my job to prepare them for the world they live in.

A 13 y/o kid down the street from me has a computer in his bedroom and was never taught about the dangers lurking online. I have no doubt that if the "girl" who msg'd my son had msg'd this boy he would have been excited that a 16 y/o wanted to be his friend.

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That's smart because that "16 year old female 'model'" was most likely a short, overweight middle aged man.

"I hate to scare a child or create unneeded fears but this is the world we live in and it is my job to prepare them for the world they live in."


It's not an unneeded fear you are creating in your child. It's just the facts.

Good job!

Kitty: You many have not have heard the "sarcastic tone to my post....

I know that is hard in cyberspace.

I should have maybe included an example in my post: Like the women who was "ticked" off at her BF, threw a drink in his face, and then slipped on the liquid on the floor and then "sued" the bar because she slipped.

Or maybe: The "fleeing" criminal does not want to be caught, he runs into a forest to escape LE who are persuing him. Well apparently he hid well from LE, he could not find his way out of the forest. Well LE did finally find him and he "sued" them because they took too long in finding him and he suffered frost bite.

Those would have been prime examples of "not accepting responsibility for your actions and decisions and "blaming" others for what you do and the choices you make".

Like I said before: Few people want to accept responsibility for their actions, it is "so much" more in vogue to put the blame on others, especially if it means that "you do not feel you are at fault" and others are.

So therefore, myspace is not responsible for what this girl does in her real life, her decision to meet a man, her decision not to tell her parents, her decision to "meet" a person in real life, her parents lack of "accountability", or for that fact "parenting" or dilligence in "monitoring" her online activities.

You see it is not their fault, it is not the fault of the girl, is all the fault of myspace that this girl meet this man....and he harmed her.

I hope that does clarify my position in this matter........

I am "totally" shocked when anyone(except me of course) says: Sorry, it was my fault, I take full responsibility, I messed up, it won't happen again. Seriously I am shocked when this happens because it is so rare.

Instead the dog ate my homework, the reason I have poor grades is because the teacher does not like me. Mom did not "remind" me of my project that is due(like I am in school with my kids)

The reason the car crashed was because of the "blown tire" not the .21 reading of alcohol in my system.

Or it is her fault that I hit her because "she made do it".

Or my child has suffered medical problems, because of the Hospital, the delivery doctor, the OBGYN, not that I did not abstain from booze, did not eat nutritional food, did not keep pre-natal appointments, did drugs, partied.....no of course not, because that would mean that I am to blame for my child's life long medical problems not the "medical people".

See what I mean..........

I'm not creative enough to come up with excuses for my own mistakes, so I go ahead and own up to them.

TopGunner said:

I agree with all the posters here, it's up to *we* parents to keep our children safe, to know where they are, to teach them caution (without scaring them to death). On the other hand, I also believe that something should be done about myspace.com. It's totally out of control...I don't think the majority of parents have a CLUE as to what they're kids are doing on there. My daughter let me crusie through the site one day and I was blown away by what I saw. BABIES (in my eyes) presenting themselves in such an *inviting* manner. I feel these kids (most anyway), simply want to impress their friends and be accepted, but if they had any idea of the attention they're drawing to themselves by so many people they don't know.......................well, anyway, I think it should be shut down or monitored daily by adults. Anything inappropriate should be grounds for being banned from the site and having the parents contacted. This law suit is just the beginning in my opinion

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Well, Top Gunner, I agree with you. Although it is the parents responsibility to oversee their child's computer activity, the reality is, not all parents do. I think MySpace needs to be shut down because it is abused by predators and such. Their controls are not effective, they have no way to check age, and the content that is posted is provocative, bordering on *advertiser censored* on some of it! I hope this family wins their lawsuit. If it weren't for MySpace, that 16-year-old girl from Michigan wouldn't have been high-tailing it to the Middle East to meet her dream man, a 20-year-old, who lied about his age, high-school drop-out who spends 10 hours/day on the internet!!!:razz: