Teen: I'll Marry Man I Met on MySpace.com

Ummmmmmm, if someone needed a story like this to tell them that there are dangers with MySpace.com and other such sites then they aren't as concerned as they need to be.

I personally don't think that MySpace.com is to blame - it's the parents responsibility to keep an eye on what their kids are doing. It's really hard to imagine that they couldn't see that *something* was going on with their daughter. If they're really *that* disconnected, they need to get things straight.

That said, again, who cares?

This is an extremely *personal* matter. The two fell in love (or, they *think* they're in love). Let them be. What's so strange about two individuals falling in love? It's not up to us to decide for them whether or not they're right. I personally think it's a pretty scary situation, but I also realize it's none of my business.

So, the law needs to run its course, though I really think minimal action is needed. I just hope that the four of them (the girl, guy and her parents) can work this out (whether that means a breakup or marriage) in private and live *their* lives.

Nope. I *am* a kid. ;-) Kinda. I'm 20. So now you can tell me how worthless my oppinion is.

Here's what I'm saying:
-These are two people who have spent tons of time "together" (I believe I saw 5 hours a day mentioned, might be wrong). -They've fallen in love with eachother.
-She's got parents who [now] know what's going on.
-Her parents now say they can continue to talk.

This is THEIR problem. And I do think it's a problem - don't get me wrong. But haven't we heard enough? Isn't it enough to know that some teen acted immaturely by flying overseas without her parents knowledge to meet a guy she found on MySpace? Isn't that all concerned parents need to know? Doesn't that remind them of what common sense screams at them - namely, that MySpace and other sites can be dangerous without parental involvement?

Do "concerned" parents really have to know every freakin' detail about this relationship? What happened to privacy? Can't these two "kids" and their parents deal with this?

(If I sound a bit angry or offensive, I *promise* I don't mean it that way. I really don't. I fully respect your oppinion, I'm just trying to make my point. If you need clarification or feel offended by something I've said, please let me know! No hard feelings intended!)

When you have kids, you'll probably feel differently.

No offense to Zak, but it seems that parents these days just don't care.

@...T-BONE: Hmmmmmm...I really am trying to think through this openly.

Right now I'm a *bit* confused by what you are arguing.

Are you saying that parents should hear all these details about this story? If that's what you're saying, then yes, I disagree.

However if you're saying that in general people need to know that kids can fall in love online (or at least *think* they're in love) like this without their parents knowing, so parents need to be extremely watchful, then yes, I agree.

I just don't see how all.this.attention. is helping. It just seems like we're putting even more pressure on this already sick situation.

@Zeke: Uh-huh. I totally agree. I've been raised by parents who are extremely protective and have (at least when I was younger, less so now) kept an eye on my online activities. But I do see tons of situations where parents *don't* care. That is scary, because *these* things can happen so quickly.

I'm all for parents keeping a close check on what their parents are doing online. I am against, however, parents pulling their kids out of MySpace, Xanga, etc. I'm also against us examining every detail of this very *personal* situation.

Common sense would go a long way for us all - parents who have kids on these sites and kids who are on these sites.

I agree with T-Bone all the way. I may be in my early 20's, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know how important good parenting and knowing what your kids are doing is.

When she's 18, let her get her own apartment, pay for her own internet connection, and myspace each other until the cows come home.

Oh my. Calm down guys.
Calming down helps discussion, it's true because I read it on the internet.

*ahem*

I must be confusing.

;-)

I'm going to try once again to clarify my position, hopefully I can communicate that better now.

What am I saying?

1. That this particular story (read: this particular story, not stories about the general details of what's going on in this situation, but this particular story) digs too deeply into these people's private lives. If this chick's parents fail her by doing what they think is best, it's extremely sad, but never the less, it's none of our business.

2. MySpace is not to blame when stuff like this happens. Parents *must* keep an eye on their kids at all times whether that's when they go to the theater with friends or when their surfing the internet with strangers. Shutting them off of MySpace or whatever is not the right course of action (I'm talking in general here, not about this specific situation).

3. Yes, it's a dangerous world. I'm not against parental involvement/controll. As has been stated, that is what they're there for. Parents, do your job. Kids (me included!!), respect your parents' decisions. When you get 18 or whatever, still *seek* your parents wisdom.

Summary: My main beef with this story is that it gets into stuff that we have no business worrying about. It's not up to us whether these two get married or not. We're not in the position to give advice. It's not something we should deal with.

My main beef with this story is that it gets into stuff that we have no business worrying about. It's not up to us whether these two get married or not. We're not in the position to give advice. It's not something we should deal with.

Ok, first of all, who's giving advice? You honestly think that the individuals involved are coming to Newsvine and listening to our banter? What you and T-Bone are doing is called a discussion. What the individuals do really is none of our business, but we can discuss our perspectives on the issues. Much of what we learn and who we become comes from our response to the experiences of others. I might decide to monitor my children more closely as a result of someone else's situation, rather than wait for my child to head for Israel. So there's nothing wrong with sharing our opinions. Carry on.

That's exactly how I feel. Forget about it, people.

*Let's* move on so *they* can move on.

The Z's unite!

Ouch. :-P

if I see one more of these idiot stories about these idiot kids, I'm not coming back for a month.

If I know how the AP works, I'll give it about 1 day before you go on your little "Newsvine Break." I expect another AP article tomorrow... or by the end of the weekend, at most.

You have to stay ahead of the game as a parent. Enable filters, put the computer in the living room. CONSTANTLY monitor their profile....you get the hint.

that's why the call it parental supervision, something many "parentals" lack.

Because people are nosey and like to read about other peoples' *private* lives. It also gives them a "feel good" factor to be able to think they'd handle the situation better than these parents. It's all about gossip.

And that's not directed at anyone on the Vine. It's more directed at your average reader - of which the Very little, thankfully.

Correction on the last sentence: It's more directed at your average reader - of which the Vine has very little, thankfully.

My statement was largely rhetorical Shawn, but you made an eloquent summary nonetheless.