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the internet can be a dangerous place for kids using publicly accesible sites without any parental monitoring. kids can be exposed to strangers, sexual offenders, etc. for example, according to a report from 2 weeks ago, MySpace found and deleted the profiles of 29,000 sex offenders on the site, a number that was 4 times the previous total.

however, now, the idiots at the national school boards association have released a report saying that fears prompted by statistics such as those listed above are overblown. the more accurate statistics according to them are as follows (these statistics are as reported by the nsba’s pool of interviewees):

1. 20% of kids have seen inappropriate pictures on social networking sites in the last 3 months.
2. 18% of kids have seen inappropriate language on social networking sites.
3. 7% of the kids were asked for information about their personal identity on a social network.
4. 7% of the kids experienced cyber-bullying.
5. 4% of the kids have had conversations on social networking sites that made them uncomfortable.
6. 3% of the kids were repeatedly asked by unwelcome strangers to communicate with them online.
7. 2% of the kids were asked by strangers met online to meet them in person.
8. 0.08% of the kids met someone in person from an online encounter without their parents’ permission.

In spite of these figures the nsba (national stupidity bureau of america?) believes that kids should be encouraged to use these sites and learn from their own mistakes.

The report concludes with a handful of recommendations, the most controversial of which is likely to be a suggestion that schools reexamine social networking policies. “Safety policies remain important, as does teaching students about online safety and responsible online expression,” the study’s authors note. “But students may learn these lessons better while they’re actually using social networking tools.”

if you’re having a hard time believing this slant from the nsba, it shouldn’t be too surprising considering that the study was in fact sponsored by news corp., parent of myspace (one of the largest sources of offences like those mentioned above). and as far as+ the 0.08% figure is concerned, if you just look at myspace and their 180 million users (of which approximately 10% are in the 12-17 year-old range), that puts 14,400 kids in danger! i wouldn’t want that on my conscience.

note to nsba: only 16% of all rapes are ever reported. are those fears overblown too?

check out the pdf study and more from the great folks at ars technica.