Criminal Justice
7,000 Sex Offenders on MySpace
Posted Jul 3, 2007, 06:53 pm CST
By Martha Neil
Some 7,000 known sex offenders in the U.S. apparently may recently have been using the MySpace personal networking Web site to meet strangers on the Internet
Among them, according to a list compiled by the site's owner and provided to authorities in May, were 141 convicted New Jersey sex offenders with MySpace personal profiles, reports Reuters. "We have proof in hand to confirm the worst fears of New Jersey's concerned parents and educators: that sex offenders are active on Web sites used by children and educators," said N.J. Attorney General Anne Milgram in a statement.
Authorities in New Jersey plan further investigations to determine whether offenders solicited children or violated the terms of their probation by using the site. They point out that MySpace is far from the only way in which offenders and other undesirable "friends" can meet minors over the Internet, and suggest that parents warn children about sexual predators, monitor computer use and not allow children to have computers in their bedrooms.