No, It isnt surprising. Too many kids are putting too much information on MySpace and other sources that are way too available by predators. There was a kid here not long ago who was giving out way too much personal information. I believe every parent should take this as a message. Know what your kids are doing online. Only one way to really find out - and that is by some serious conversation. Let them know that blogging about friends and giving out information is just dangerous. I once had a kid in a group I ran. Her blog was a murder waiting to happen. It included names, dates of events, family members names, locations etc. It took me less than five minutes on Yahoo people search to have the names, addresses and phone numbers of every member of her family in the small town where she lived -- up to and including "Grandma" who lived alone and "never remembered to lock her doors". I knew that the whole family was going to be at her dance recital on Friday night at 8. I knew her little brother came home from school and was alone until after 6. I am serious. I finally had to have a conversation with her. When she got b!tchy with me, I called the high school in the town and spoke to the guidance dept. They were horrified. Since the kid and the blog disappeared, I assume it was handled. I pray it was.
MySpace can be a very cool thing for adults but it can spell death for kids who just don't know how to say no to someone who offers them a sympathetic cyber shoulder to cry on and offers to listen to their problems. Far too many kids are being stalked, raped, killed because of their blogs, membership in things like MySpace. You can't even block it from their computers. And if you could, they are smart enough to get around it. Even if they have to liberate Mom's credit card to use to register.
I call it "Superman Mentality", they believe they are bulletproof and this just isnt going to happen to them. Sadly it does.
I wonder what the liability is for Blogging Services and sites like My Space. There sure should be some. Please - tell your children that while it is wonderful that they journal, it is wrong for them to post personal information online in any location.
If Laura Bush wanted an issue to attack, this is it. There should be commercials on TV hourly telling parents to find out what kids are blogging. It would be terribly sad if it cost one kid her life in Colorado and others suffer nightmares for the rest of their lives because what some kid blogged.