MySpace and Duane Morrison

Filed in archive In the Spotlight on September 29, 2006

MySpace, like Friendster, is a social website where members can share pictures and their thoughts with a network of people. Apart from linking together people who really know each other, others also use this site to make new friends.

It's you and your friends in your MySpace community, sharing information.

Unfortunately, we also have to think about people with dubious intentions (stalkers and pedophiles, among others) who are also on the other side of the screen. People like Duane Morrison.

It is rumored that Duane Morrison, the man who sexually assaulted hostages at a Colorado high school before killing a student and then himself, researched his victims by looking at MySpace.

If your teenager is one of those behind the screen, monitor (up to a certain degree) what your child is doing online. Make your teener understand that social networking sites may seem fun and innocent enough BUT, they should still take extra care. It is best to refrain from putting too much information online (name, address, school) as this may be used by someone who have bad intentions. Someone like Duane Morrison.