Law Commons^™

Parental Rights In Myspace: Reconceptualizing The State’S Parens Patriae Role In The Digital Age, Sheerin N. Shahinpoor

Sheerin N. Shahinpoor

The law grants parents a great deal of leeway in their child-rearing decisions, including choices in the context of their children’s internet use. But there is a harm about which many parents and state and federal governments are unaware: reputational harm. Children and teenagers’ current internet use put them at risk of permanently harming their reputations, and there are no protective measures in place, whether educational or regulatory. They are posting personal information on the internet at an alarming rate mostly via social networking sites like MySpace.com and Facebook.com without an awareness of the present and long-term consequences, such as …