Penn State on the MySpace lawsuit
MySpace: Lawsuits don’t trump personal responsibility:
Another collegiate newspaper has weighed in with their opinion on the lawsuit against MySpace. This time it’s from Penn State . The entire editorial is worth reading but I’ll give you just a little tidbit…
At what point does personal responsibility come into play in this scenario? Where were the parents? Suing MySpace for facilitating a relationship between an adult and a teenage girl is ridiculous. Why not sue the mall where the girls met the adults? That mall facilitated the meeting at least as much as MySpace. While we’re at it, why not sue the creator of the Internet as well?
You can’t sue Al Gore. Joking aside the Penn State editorial is dead on.
Tags: Lawsuit, penn-state
5 opinions for Penn State on the MySpace lawsuit
Mary
Feb 3, 2007 at 11:00 pm
Most people seem to realise that parents are responsible for their children and should be overseeing what their child does on the internet, as well as teaching them to be safe. Most would agree too that parents have a duty to ensure their child’s safety, especially in activities in their own home.
From reactions and editorials written such as the Collegion, most agree that the parents of these girls involved in the myspace lawsuits were negilgent in their parental duties. Somewhat ironic that negilgent parents are suing Myspace alleging neglect. What has yet to be addressed however, is the liability parents have for the actions of their children, and their liability when neglecting their own parental duties to such an extent that their child engages in these dangerous activities. Why are these parents not investigated by juvenile authorities as to whether they are competent to be parents? Isn’t negilgence a form of child abuse?
Some of these situations involve these young girls lying about their age on myspace and to the subsequent so called “predators”. I would not be surprised if most of these incidents were predicated on these sweet little innocent teenie boppers playing on the internet committing fraud - pretending to be something they are not, flirting with the older guys as teenie boppers so tend to do. There are 1000’s upon 1000’s of sites of teenage girls displaying the most sexually provacative pictures and language imaginable - it would be hard to argue they are so naive. So next these young girls give out their phone numbers, go meet these guys, and then engage in consentual sex, and become innocent “victims”. Again, it seems that juvenile authorities should investigate this for what it is - deliquent behavior.
If irresponsible parents and their irresponsible children were actually held accountable for their own actions, I bet most of the internet predators would disappear. Then the rest of us could enjoy myspace.
I wonder when someone is going to turn around and sue these parents.
Barbara
Feb 15, 2007 at 10:23 am
I have a 17 year old daughter. And believe me I monitor her site and my older daughters’ websites. But my problem is someone created a hate website against her and I am not sure of the recourse I can take. I know that it is harrassment. (I have been in and out of her school already) She is black and in a predominantly white school. Does any one have any suggestions on what I can do to get this myspace account removed and find the person responsible for it. My daughter is very upset and I am horrified as the default picture has her throat slit and blood everywhere. Any help would be greatly appreciate
Trench
Feb 15, 2007 at 10:26 am
Barbara, I would contact your local law enforcement and MySpace.
Barbara
Feb 15, 2007 at 10:32 am
Thank you. I have contacted Myspace and have gotten no response.
Trench
Feb 15, 2007 at 10:34 am
They take their time but they will respond.
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