Perverts On MySpace and Facebook

Posted by Barbara Pytel Jun 5, 2008

Parents turn out the lights and say good night to their children, but the kids are on MySpace or Facebook until 1 a.m. Who else is out there enjoying their company? Well, we know who three of them are.

Child predator #1: a 32 year old convicted of aggravated sexual assault on a minor.

Child predator #2: a 24 year old convicted of endangering the welfare of a child.

Child predator #3: 34 year old convicted of endangering the welfare of a child and sexual assault.

While there may be no evidence that these men attempted to lure any teens into meetings with them, New Jersey law forbids them even being on the sites. The men may face up to 18 months in jail, a $10,000 fine and could have their parole revoked. Computers were seized along with a mobile phone and Web cam.

How Prevalent?

January of 2008, MySpace found thousands of registered sex offenders on its site. Facebook found 23 registered just in New Jersey. This is every parents nightmare.

While New York has a similar law, it is easy to ignore and difficult to monitor. New York is sending 25,000 letters to sex offenders warning them of this law and asking them for their online names, email and user names.

The bottom line is that teens and parents must be vigilant. The threat is always there.

Read previous articles on Educational Issues.