Girl's parents sue MySpace, call for increased safety controls
In court papers she is listed as Julie Doe III — one of thousands of Houston-area teenagers who have created personal profiles at MySpace.com.
But instead of finding new online friends, a lawsuit filed this week against the Web site alleges, the 15-year-old met an adult predator who drugged and raped her.
The girl's attorneys and mother hope the lawsuit, also filed on behalf of four girls with similar experiences from other states, will change the way media giant News Corp. operates its popular Web site. Experts, though, question whether the courts can fix what has become a systemic problem in the Internet age: online sexual predators.
One question:
If the girl met the predator on a playground, would the parents sue the playground? Parents need to accept the responsibility of being a parent and know what their children are doing on the Internet.