Hi there...
I have a 15 yo and 12 yo always on the internet (if I don't force them off). Rules of the web is that my kids have to give me their passwords. Safety trumps privacy in my house.
When my 15yo locked me out and left a cute lil' note saying "You'll never guess my password, ha ha ha", I changed the password for the whole computer and left him a note "don't mess with mom". (you can leave little notes on your sign-in for the computer)
Also, I got a myspace just so I could see who my kids were talking to regularly and see what they post on their bulletins. I'll leave notes for them if I think someone has used inappropriate or suggestive language. I do that just to remind my son and his friends that mom's not too far away at any time.
Having your own myspace and adding your kids to your friends list does not gain you full access, however. You need their passwords for that. I monitor their friends and bulletins, but I will occassionally log into their account to view the personal email trails and bulletins he sees (what you see as a friend isn't what he sees).
A friend of mine bought software to read ALL of the IMing programs. She can go in and see every conversation her kids have on yahoo, AIM, myspace, MSN, etc. And her kids know, as well that safety is more important than their IMing chats.
My understanding of myspace is that they will delete an account that is not following their rules. If a kid isn't watching what they're doing, they can easily get identified as a kiddo.
Have fun making a myspace account! It can be kinda fun. :smile:
