MySpace®, MyKids: A Parent's Guide to Protecting Your Kids and Navigating MySpace.com

Jason Illian
Harvest House Publishers (2007)
ISBN 0736920447
Reviewed by Reina Santana for Reader Views (5/07)

Parents are constantly bombarded with information on the dangers that lurk online.  Recently, the media has featured many stories that expose the dangers that children face when they join online communities like MySpace.com.  We hear about everything from inappropriate language to sexual abuse resulting from interactions on these communities.  Although these dangers are real, there are ways to protect a mature child who is willing to work with their parents.  “MySpace: My Kids” was written for concerned parents wanting to protect their children from these online dangers. 

“MySpace: My Kids” will help parents understand their kids a little better, but most importantly it will help them learn the simple steps that can be taken to protect their kids online.  Written by Jason Illian, a Christian speaker and writer, who has toured the United States speaking to teens about sex, faith and online dangers, this book helps readers become comfortable with this sometimes misunderstood technology.  Jason explains everything from opening an account to the various links and options available to your children.  Parents will learn how to change privacy settings, follow electronic footprints, evaluate MySpace pages, and much more.  Although some of this information is available on MySpace if you click on the help tab, Jason explains how parents can use these features to their advantage.  In addition, the author provides a paid interactive online resource for parents.  For $49.95 parents can take an online course to learn about MySpace.  I didn’t register for the course, because it seemed to offer much of the same information provided in the book, but it may be a good alternative for individuals who don’t enjoy reading or prefer using an interactive tool.

My only criticism is that the book promo does not mention that it is written from a Biblical perspective.  The first 40 pages are filled with Biblical advice regarding MySpace.  If you are not interested in this section, but still want to learn how to protect your children, skip to Part II.  Part II will give you all the information you need, with some Biblical references sprinkled throughout, even if you are not a tech savvy parent. 

Overall, “MySpace, MyKids” provides valuable information that can be used by concerned parents– tech savvy or not.

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