But are these sites, and others like them, really the hotbeds of vice and crime the media often make them out to be?

The public perception of such sites is far removed from the reality, according to Dr. David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.

During a Senate hearing on online safety in July 2007, Finkelhor told the Senate Commerce Committee that only 5 percent of offenders conceal the fact that they're adults from their victims, 80 percent are explicit about their sexual intentions, just 5 percent of online sex crimes against children involve violence, and only 3 percent entail an abduction. The predominant victims are not young children, but teenagers.

The media’s skewed representation of what’s really happening is stymieing policymakers and other organizations from preventing predatory crimes. The predominant scenarios do not involve adult molesters posing as other children to set up abductions or assaults.

In one case, a teen ran away from home to meet an older man she had encountered online, shared intimate information with, and met on several occasions. Her refusal to cooperate with police allowed the offender to go free. In 73 percent of such crimes, meetings between youngster and offender are numerous. Teens are lured by flattery and by being treated as an adult, something that may not be happening in their life.

"[Students] need to be educated about...why they should be discouraging, not patronizing, sites and people who are doing offensive things online."

The research suggests that preventing such crimes needs to go beyond simply telling children not to post personal information online. More extensive sexual information and advice is necessary.

“They need to be educated about why hooking up with a 32-year-old has major drawbacks like jail, bad press, and public embarrassment and why they should be discouraging, not patronizing, sites and people who are doing offensive things online, fascinating as they seem,” says Finkelhor.

Losing Your License
Even lesser events related to social-networking sites can have serious repercussions, particularly for teachers.

A young teacher-in-training attending Millersville University, Pennsylvania, was told days before graduating that she would not receive her teacher’s license because her MySpace account was deemed inappropriate. Some photographs she had posted showed her as a student drinking what could be construed as alcohol at a party, setting a bad example to students who might see her page if she became a teacher. Just like that, her career went the way of the dot-com bubble.

For that reason, teachers are often warned to stay away from these sites in the aftermath of such high-profile cases.

Some, however, make good use of them to increase communication and improve relationships with their students. The National School Boards Association encourages educators to take advantage of online social networks because students view them so much and because the sites can benefit student-teacher relationships and increase interest in extracurricular activities.

At a music club in a Missouri school, meeting and event attendance increased by 50 to 60 percent after the club created a Facebook profile. Students preferred going there for notifications rather than checking their school e-mail address, which was seen as uncool.

One teacher who uses Facebook to bridge the communication gap between herself and her students said the relationships with some of her students have expanded in ways that never would have happened had their contact been limited to just the classroom. “The students can see from my interests on my profile that I like Eastern philosophy. One of them listed that as an interest too, so we shared thoughts on a topic that would otherwise never have entered our dialog,” wrote Alyssa Giese in a 2007 Teacher Magazine article.

Students also appreciate the informal setting of online communication. One admitted he never would have contributed to class discussions, but the anonymity of online communication emboldened him to participate. That, in turn, changed his teacher’s perception of his discussion abilities.

Others, however, are not so excited.

To Create or Not to Create?
A recent question posed by Teacher Magazine asked its readers if creating a Facebook profile helps communication between teachers and students. One post answered: “Is this question some kind of April Fools’ joke? The individual who came up with this question (and the supervisor who allowed it) needs to go directly to jail, do not pass go, and do not collect two hundred dollars.”

Not all posts were as ingenious, but there is clearly a lack of guidance when it comes to teachers creating profiles, as another reader wrote: “… [it’s] a boundary violation, and hence, unethical.”

Just as children and teens need guidelines on how to use social networking sites and other Internet communication tools, so do teachers. Rather than imposing on our right to free speech, it’s better to mark boundaries for expression that everyone accepts. Educating teachers and students together on the educational benefits of social-networking sites can create a better understanding between them as they explore online communication in a more safe and responsible manner.

Five Safe Ways To Maintain Your Site:

1. What you post isn’t private or temporary. Unless you restrict access to your profile, the information is public and will remain so until you take it down.
2. Don’t post photos or information you wouldn’t want your current or future employer to see.
3. Familiarize yourself with current netiquette, including how to respond to unwelcome comments on your profile or harassment from instant messenger users.
4. If you decide to meet an online contact, tell someone you trust where you’re going and who you’re seeing. Be sure to meet in a public place. If anything happens, someone has information that can help locate you.
5. Educate yourself about the realities of online communication. It isn’t all doom and gloom. If used correctly and responsibly, these sites can have immense educational benefit.

For more information about how to contract a one-day in-service to help your school become more aware, contact the CC! national office at: 1-800-711-2670