Researchers from the Seattle Children's Research Institute randomly selected 500 profiles of MySpace posters who said they were 18 years old. Of these, 54 percent gave out information about high risk behaviors, 41 percent talked about substance abuse, 24 percent mentioned sexual behaviors, and 14 percent referred to violence.
As an added twist, about 200 people with such profiles received a caring memo from "Dr. Meg," who is Dr. Megan Moreno, a pediatrician and specialist in adolescence with the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The "Dr. Meg" memo read in part, "You seem to be quite open about sexual issues or other behaviors such as drinking and smoking. Are you sure that is a good idea? You might consider revising your page to better protect your privacy."
Among those who received a memo, 42 percent set their profiles to private or removed the references in question.
Labels: sex, internet, myspace
Posted By: Aspen Education Group