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Does your teen have a myspace profile? Imagine if that profile was printed out on high quality photo paper, pictures, comments, and all, and hung up in a men's room at the seediest strip club in town. That's about the level of exposure you get when you post a public profile available to anyone on the internet. Now imagine if some creepy sleazeball saw that profile and sent you an email, asking to be your friend... Kind of puts it into perspective, doesn't it?

The internet is like Central Park at night, but without any police patrols. It might be amusing, but there are serious dangers and a definable risk. Any parent that allows their young child unrestricted access to the internet puts them at risk. so how do you cope? Easy. Don't put anything in your public profile that you wouldn't want posted on that bathroom wall. If you have kids, pay attention to what they're doing when they're on the internet. If you can't monitor it, shut it down. Even the T.V. is a better babysitter than the 'net.

For your personal profile, keep it personal. Adjust your privacy settings to hide your profile from non friends. Don't make friends with people you don't trust, and for cryin' out loud, don't write your phone number on any bathroom walls. There are thousands of information sources full of internet safety tips. The simplest one is don't send it out there if you wouldn't want it on a bathroom wall.

Learn more about this author, Patrick California.
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