I'm Gobsmacked!!!
After watching a programe earlier I decided to go along to the website and have a gander, as ya do.. I'm not gonna name what it was and you will see why when i've finished.
Scrolling throught it I found the "message board" section.. I was extremely shocked to see there have been messages and ADDY's posted from 13 yr olds.. YES... 13 yr olds!!!! :shock:
Then in another section was this....
"If you are under 16 please make sure you have permission from a parent or guardian before registering to post messages".
Now i know that parents don't always know what there kids are up to and joining but i'd love to know how this company have let this happen. Email addys.. of 13 yr olds... on a open message board where you don't even have to be a member to go and see them???
Is it any wonder there are so many phedofiles and wierdo's in the internet world. I have made a complaint to the company and will just wait and see what comes from it.
Lil
this kind of thing shouldnt just be up to parents to see what their child posts on it should be also up to the company to police properly and responsibly and use the software available to block emal addies from apearing in posts or the post should be veted before being shown on such a public forum
Its a scary world on the net at times for anyone but especially for young people...
I used to do workshops for young people about safey on the internet including chatrooms. First thing they were ever told was never post or give away personal information.
When one particular organisation I worked with posted photos with names underneath the pics I used to get so cross with them, then the cheeky blighters put my photo online! I was not impressed!
I think messenger is even worse! The photos some of these y. people or their contacts have! Its about time something was done about it all.
So yeah complain away as parents cant always police what their children do online as its so accessable these days in a variety of places, I would if I saw anything like that.
This is awful though I know it goes on as my daughter has shown me her mates addys and phone numbers in places on the net. Even she says they are nuts putting them on I hope she doesn't just say that for my benefit.
I was quite shocked when I found out a few months ago that while staying at a mates house they put videos on you tube - they are cutesy videos but still i wasn't happy
Sadly some parents don't know how to look or where to look to see what their kids have been up to onthe net.
shoud it have left the email on the post until it was checked ........... i dont think it should be alowed to be posted until it has been checked or they use better software to filter out addys.
Might be worth reporting it to ;-)
but the site lil is talking about is a general all purpose site thet i wouldnt have batted an eyelid if my 10 year old had been on ..... what is most upsetting and un nerving is that the post concerned was not vetted befor for content not for the content of the site but for the content of the post concerned. ie. the user of the site was 13 and posted her email addy for the world and every peadofile (sp) to see
i can bet any money you wouldnt have thought to restict the site concerned and if your parental controles were set that low they wouldnt be able to view much if any internet content at all ..... perhaps the better idea would be to stop posting on any site at all .... is there software for that????? and only use the web for browsing for homework etc rather than being able to post on forums
but once they are signed in do you watch what they write and who they write to or just look over their sholder occasionaly ... because as a mother myself i somtimes let him get on with the site he is on and only watch occasionaly as i have other stuff to be getting on with ... trusting as i am as to what and who he is chatting to .. i also save the msn type chats and have a look through as to the content of what he is typing and also ask him if he is adding somone who they are and where he knows them from ... we all do our best to watch them but we cannt have the time to monitor them 24/7 and we have to trust their judgements and hope that the lessons and values on their safty are listened to .... but we should also be able to truse some general sites not to show adult content and have the kind of software that can block mail addys and long numbers that could be phone numbers etc
is this too much to ask
Sorry....
I received 1 saying... To hang fire while they spoke to the mods about it... but haven't received nothing since.
So as i said if anybody would like to know, plz pm me.
well i PM'd lil for the site, and I must say that I am very shocked and surprised that such a big comapny and a well recognise programme should slip up in this way.
I wouldnt have turned a hair if I had seen one of my 4 on it.
I am, however, heartened to see that they appear to have closed the message boards and deleted the commnts on it.
I know that the internet is a huge place, but if we all do our little bit to police it, whe we see things like this, then, if e save just one child from a terrible physical, mental or emotonal experience at th hands of the worlds less than savoury characters, than its all worth it.
