I WAS disturbed by this news story on CNN about a 13-year old girl who committed suicide in Dardenne, Prairie, Missouri because of a special friendship she had with a fictitious boy on MySpace that had gone awry when he suddenly ended it, telling her she’s cruel to her friends. The teenage girl who was suffering from depression and attention deficit disorder killed herself the next day. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/17/internet.suicide.ap/index.html
Her parents later found out that the boy she had befriended was fictitious, and their neighbor was responsible for creating his profile on MySpace so they could spy on what she was telling people around about their own daughter who was her former friend.
The parents of Megan Meier’s tried to bring the case to the police in Missouri but they were told it does not fit any current web law even if it involved manipulation and harassment — child endangerment.
Again, the question is: “How safe are kids/teenagers when they’re allowed so much time on the Internet without their parents’ guidance?”
More sad is the fact that the advent of the global computer network all these years has not really given enough birth to stringent laws that should protect vulnerable children from its dangerous contents or misguided use.
How can children/teenagers be protected from fraudulent online profiles of people they meet and their bad influences? If you have a computer with an Internet at home, and your children are old enough to know how to use it, they’re very open to danger.
There should be a law that’s capable of protecting their welfare so that Megan’s sad story doesn’t happen again.
Social Markers
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Greetings, Teng…I’m happy to find you via pingback. You run a nice marketplace of ideas here. I admit I had to look up Palawan. Oh, my, what an exquisite place!
This story gave me grief as well, but I might have a different perspective on throwing more laws at moral deficiency. I would go so far as to ask your pity on us morally bankrupt imperialists–for we’re really no greater sinners than people anywhere else, nor are we more competent lawmakers.
Laws that would be enacted to punish this sort of abuse still typically fall to the individual states, not to the federal government. Megan’s city council actually did actually propose a local law. But of course, no one could realistically think that local police have time to surf myspace and enforce Internet law as well as local laws–cyberspace is a pretty big jurisdiction.
The sad truth is, no laws are going to make parents more vigilant, or kids less lonely, or people more compassionate. Yes, it is a good thing to have a code in place to punish horrific transgressions. But laws are as much subject to abuse in their enforcement as they are by criminals. I can’t wish we had more federal laws against reckless behavior. In my opinion, the civil arena, i.e., a lawsuit against the “Josh” perpetrators, is the proper forum, not the criminal courts.
I fixed my gaze this morning on Psalm 119:126, and I think it compels the proper prospective: It is time for thee, LORD, to work; for they have made void thy law. I wish we could legislate out sin, but alas, we are given to endure and correct as best as we sinners can.
Without meaning to be presumptuous, I would encourage you to confer with the ex-pats you know as to whether they think the U.S. is better for having more laws than it has had at any time in its history. But I must apologize for my prolixity and wish you a blessed day!
Hi, Lauren — thank you for posting a comment here on my Blog and for finding Palawan an exquisite place. We just had a typhoon visit last Tuesday, November 20, so that beauty was a bit disturbed. Nonetheless, we’re still doing fine, thank goodness.
I understand what you mean here in your comment, and I always appreciate replies that also make me see differently so please don’t worry re: “prolixity” — it’s not tiresome at all
My Blog, I believe, speaks in general. It doesn’t only pertain to the welfare of teens in your country, but also here in my own. In the Philippines, we don’t have enough laws covering the world wide web so its use won’t abuse users. I’d rather have laws even if it can only prosecute a few than none at all. But you are right also that the global network is a tricky matter to deal with. Our legislators are having difficulty approving the right measures to approve simply because some of them are ignorant too about its basics. Debates remain long until now about certain laws they want to pass to safeguard women and children who are often the victims.
I just can’t believe some people would go as far as deceiving a teenager who had a case of depression. Surely, this JOSH thing would drive her to kill herself. I pray that her parents would pursue the “civil arena” as a venue to bring what happened to her into the open so that parents can watch over their children. If not, then the verse you quoted here, I pray to God, would show them what to do.
You have a blessed day too!
Teng, from your own profile, I think you would be at the vanguard if your local government were to call for focus groups to consider this type of legislation. The worldwide nature of the worldwide web is daunting. The girl in this story was harassed by a neighbor. But it could as easily have been someone in another country under other circumstances. Does a parent call Interpol because someone is flaming his child?
We need individual and familial responsibility and we need sound, enforceable laws and enforcement to back them up. We can’t quit just because there are so many variables, but we need a realistic framework. You’re in a good position to be an advocate and to study this and make recommendations to your legislators. Go for it!
Hi, Lauren — thank you for the vote of confidence
I trust you’re having a nice day there with your well-loved cat.
I have this organization here called Junior Chamber International Philippines-Puerto Princesa Peacock, Inc. or Peacock Jaycees — we’re all girls, all professionals and a non-profit organization. I do intend to bring this matter up to my colleagues so we can design a campaign regarding the abusive use of the web. I know this will be a long process, but my group (jcipuertoprincesapeacockinc.wordpress.com) loves challenges and we know we can hit this.
A couple of issues ago, we ran a news item about our Vice Governor authoring an ordinance to protect children and their rights which will be specifically for my province. We’ll see how we can influence the ordinance to cover young people’s interest on the world wide web today and how they too, can be protected.
I am hoping you’re well. Have a nice day!
hm.. nice post dude.