MySpace Warns Teens of Online Predators

To help warn teens and other users of dangerous sexual predators online, the social network MySpace.com announced Monday it will begin displaying public-service advertisements on its site, the Associated Press reports on MSNBC.com.

MySpace, which helps more than 60 million members connect with others through searchable online profiles, has raised concerns because of its popularity with teens, according to the AP.

The ads are slated to run on MySpace and a number of other News Corp. outlets, including the New York Post, reports the AP.

The new spots are part of a campaign that was started two years ago by the Ad Council and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the AP reports. The campaign warns parents and teens of the increasing number of sexual predators who prey on minors through social networking sites and other anonymous online forums.

“One of the things we’re trying to persuade kids to do is not to give out personal details online, don’t advertise where they are and who they are,” Ernie Allen, president of the national center, told the AP. “The person with whom they may be interacting may not be who they say they are.”

About 22 percent of those registered on MySpace are listed as being under 18, according to the AP. The company prohibits children 13 and under, and places restrictions on those who are 14 and 15.

MySpace has flagged and deleted hundreds of thousands of user profiles of members considered likely to be under 14, but children regularly lie about their age to skirt the rules, the AP reports.

For related news coverage, read NASA Child Porn Raid Results in Seizure of Exec’s Computer and Child Sex Sting Scoops Up DHS Spokesman.

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