Though people on both sides of the social Web’s age-verification debate have great intentions, opponents really seem to know more about what’s actually possible than proponents do. Proponents say things like, “if we can put a man on the moon, we can verify someone’s age,” the New York Times reports in an article about states proposing legislation requiring verification. Opponents or skeptics view … [Read more...] about State laws on age verification
Social Media
Child-porn trading alleged in Second Life
If anybody needed confirmation that the online virtual world Second Life is not for kids, they got it this week. Law enforcement in Halle, Germany, is looking for Second Life players “who are reportedly buying sex with other players posing as children, as well as offering child pornography for sale,” The Guardian reports. A German investigative reporter who’s a member of Second Life told The … [Read more...] about Child-porn trading alleged in Second Life
Parents using game ratings
Contrary to what has been reported, parents are pretty smart about videogame ratings these days. They’re increasingly relying on them “to guide their decisions about what titles to allow their children to play,” TechNewsWorld reports. “In fact, 73% of parents said they make a point of checking the Entertainment Software Rating Board's rating every time they consider either a game rental or a … [Read more...] about Parents using game ratings
Hacker post h.s. threats in MySpace
Someone claiming to be a Petaluma (Calif.) High School student “hacked into several students' MySpace accounts at about 10 p.m. Tuesday” and posted threats that he or she would bring a gun to school today and shoot people, NBC11.com reports. The person also made references to the Virginia Tech shootings. The school, which told police that several hundred students received the threatening message, … [Read more...] about Hacker post h.s. threats in MySpace
Web 2.0 is teen space: Study
The term “Web 2.0” gets tossed around a lot, and I often use “social Web” or “user-driven Web” to give parents a little clearer picture of it. The Pew Internet & American Life Project recently decided to get a better fix on this new phase of the Web, as it’s so often called: who uses it and how they use it in the context of how they use the Internet and Net-connected devices in general. Pew’s … [Read more...] about Web 2.0 is teen space: Study