WEST MILFORD The West Milford Police Department in conjunction with the West Milford Public School Administration and the Diocese of Paterson are cautioning parents and young people about posting on “friend finder” Web sites such as “myspace.com,” and similar sites. According to Police Chief Paul Costello and School Superintendent Glenn Kamp, a particularly disturbing trend is for youths under 18 years of age to post extremely revealing personal information on their profile while purporting themselves to be over 18 years of age. This information has the potential to allow individuals to find or identify the user in real life. Although the “myspace” Web site discourages anyone under the age of 14 from using the site, with millions of subscribers a few are bound to fall through the cracks. After this situation was brought to the attention of the Police Administration by School Resource Officer Laura Paul, the Police Department created a logon to the “myspace” Web site. A short time on the site revealed a young girl, listed as 18 years old, but in her “blogs” revealed she was only 15. Similarly, a young boy, again listed as 18 years old, revealed a birth year of 1993, making him 12 years old. Both of these individuals live in the West Milford area. While some users exercise common sense, it appears the younger subscribers are posting photographs of themselves, sometimes sexually suggestive in nature, using a great deal of profanity and drug and alcohol references, in addition to personal information, including “chat” screen names and cell phone numbers, for people to contact them directly. Interestingly enough, Internet-savvy children view chat and IM rooms and the like as real places where they go to meet with current and potential friends, associating it as if it were a physical location. This tends to give the child a false sense of security, as if surrounded by their friends. In reality they have no idea if that new contact they are chatting with is a 14 year old or a 40 year old, posing as a teenager. This lends itself to several problems, which “WiredSafety” has identified. Potential problems exist in the form of bullying, harassment and soliciting of illegal activities as well as the ever-present threat of sexual predators posing as young people. Predators are attracted to places where they can come into contact with young people, such as malls, playgrounds, schools and chat rooms. They are adept at learning the newest phrases and keep current with trends young people experience. Once they are able to learn a young person’s preferences in people, music, video games, pets, colors and even if they get along with their parents they can exploit that knowledge and dupe a child into thinking they are similar in age. This can create the trust the predator is looking to establish. What kids are posting on their profile webpage can reveal things about their personality such as depression, rebellion, insecurity, etc., which only exacerbates the problem. While these “friend finder” Web sites will cooperate to the greatest extent they can when these situations are brought to their attention, the volume of correspondence they receive can have an impact on how quickly they can verify the complaint and respond. The most effective way to intervene in this circumstance is for parents to take an interest in what their children are using the Internet for. Parents need to take the first step and look for their child’s profile on these sites. You may be surprised and even shocked by what you see. By being proactive, you may be able to intervene before your child becomes a victim of harassment, criminal activity or worse. The West Milford Police, the West Milford Schools Superintendent’s Office as well as the Diocese of Paterson, will continue to work diligently in helping the youth of the community stay safe, and the parents of those young people find the resources they need to protect their children from harm. There are numerous organizations designed to help parents keep their children safe, while still allowing them to enjoy the benefits of the Internet. These safety minded organizations include www.wiredkids.org, www.teenangels.org, www.wiredsafety.org The Diocese of Paterson and the West Milford School District have strict Internet protocols and policies, which exclude the posting of portraits and personal information on any school technology resource. Contracts must be signed by the student and parents allowing for access to computer technology and includes any restrictions the parents wish to impose on their child’s usage. While the West Milford Police neither endorse nor discourage qualified persons from utilizing these Web sites, they wish to encourage those who do use them to do it in a safe and responsible manner. For additional information, parents are urged to contact School Resource/DARE Officers Laura Paul at the Macopin School 973-697-1700 ext 168 or Steve Blacksmith at the High School 973-697-1700 ext 218, or their child’s school principal.