MySpace is partnering with Seventeen magazine, the National School Board Association and the National Association of Independent Schools to launch a new safety campaign aimed at warning and educating teenagers about the dangers of the Internet.
MySpace, Seventeen Join Up For Teen Safety
Timed for release during National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which is October, the partnership will publish and distribute the Parents’ and School Administrators Guide to Internet Safety.
The Guide addresses the various challenges that students and educators may face in relation to the Website. MySpace will work with the NSBA to send out the guide to approximately 55,000 public school administrators representing grades 7 through 12. Additionally, MySpace is also working with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) to distribute the Guide to independent schools.
“We’re committed to doing everything we can to improve internet safety,” said Hemanshu Nigam, Chief Security Officer of MySpace. “While technology plays a critical role in tackling the challenges of Internet safety, any measures must be part of a comprehensive solution, and education is an essential component.”
Through its partnership with Seventeen, MySpace will target parents, teens and teachers, offering tips and information about safe Internet behavior. Seventeen editor-in-chief, Atoosa Rubenstein, will post the information on her MySpace profile.
“The Internet and social networking are part of the fabric of this generation’s daily life,” said Rubenstein. “Parents and teachers already keep an eye on a teen’s friends at school or night time plans, but they need to keep the same tabs on their digital lives. We all need to do our part to keep teens safe.”
Rubenstein includes the following teen safety tips in the Parents’ Guide to Internet Safety:
1. Be Careful–Unless your profile is set to private, anyone
can check it out. You should never post personal information
such as your phone number, address, school, or where you
regularly hang out. If you wouldn’t share it with a creepy
stranger on the street, don’t post it on MySpace. Remember
that the Internet is a public place and you should think
about what you share.
2. Be Skeptical–We may have an idea of who someone is or
why they’re messaging us, but the truth is, when we’re online
we should be a little more skeptical. As you’re connecting
with people, get to know them first before adding them to
your friends list. Only add the people that you want to see
your profile, check out your friends and view your photos.
3. Be Picky–We all want to share funny things we’ve done
with friends, but once you post something online it can live
in cyberspace forever. Before you post an image or comment,
take a minute to consider if it’s something that might haunt
you in a few years–imagine a potential boss or college
recruiter is doing a search on you. Don’t blow your
opportunities for tomorrow just to be cute or outrageous
today.
4. Be a Good Online Citizen–MySpace is a place where
everyone should feel welcome. If you see hate speech or
inappropriate content, or if you’re being harassed by another
user, talk to your parents and report it to MySpace
immediately. Think of this as a great, new neighborhood we
ALL want to keep safe.
5. Be Real–MySpace is a community and you get out of it what
you put in. Use common sense and think about what behavior is
ok and what’s not cool for the community. The more respectful
you are to others, the better the site is for everyone. If
you disrespect the community by posting fake profiles or
lying about your age, you’ll be removed–no exceptions.
MySpace says The Parents’ Guide to Internet Safety will help define MySpace and social networks for parents, with topics that include how members use MySpace, information on company safety practices and Seventeen’sWeb safety tips for teens. The Parents’ Guide is available for download from MySpace in the “Tips for Parents” section.
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