Internet: European Leaders Pass Limits on ‘Cyber-bullying” on social networks like Facebook and MySpace, U.S. Should Follow Suit
On Tuesday Seventeen social networking sites in Europe including Facebook and MySpace signed on Tuesday a pact aimed at curbing "cyber-bullying" and protecting the privacy of underage users, the European Commission said. "It is an important step forward toward making our children's clicks on social networking sites safer in Europe," Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media said in a statement. The use of social networks has grown over the past year by 35 percent in Europe and is expected to more than double to 107.4 million users by 2012, the Commission said, warning that this would expose more children to risks online.
The new EU pact is primarily focused on preventing access to children under age 18 who post on line. The agreement requires the social networking sites to make sure that profiles of users who are under age 18 are set by default to “private,” that profiles of children set to “private” cannot be found through other websites or search engines, and to provide an easy way for underage users to report abuse or unwanted contact. As in the US with the case of Megan Meier, the effects of cyber-bullying can be particularly tragic and devastating. U.S. political leaders have been approached by their European colleagues to follow the blueprint drafted in Europe and implement greater restrictions against on-line harassment of children.
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