Summer Camps Join Fray Against MySpace

The New York Times reports that now even summer camps are raising concerns about social networking sites such as MySpace, Friendster, and Facebook. Camps are worried about the ramifications of certain activities being associated with their summer programs after revealing pictures or postings are made online. Some camps are banning digital cameras, while others are instructing campers and parents to remove references to the camps from blog postings. Of course, the camps take the stance that they are merely trying to protect the children:

"The information that kids share today often is personal and private information that allows predators to track them down. We're also concerned about cyber-bullying."

Comments

Need to blame someone

[wiz31337]

I'm getting sick and tired of hearing parents, school counselors, child psychologists, etc blaming MySpace for virtually everything bad that could occur in a teens life.

"[Camps] worry about online predators tracking children to camp and about their image being tarnished by inappropriate Internet juxtapositions"

They claim in the article that predators will use MySpace to discover summer camps where children are going and then possibly kidnap them or something worse. Summer camps don't suddenly pop-up over night and contact parents via ESP to get their children to come; they advertise in the paper, on the Internet, and by fliers. MySpace isn't tipping anyone off to these "secretive" camps, anyone can go to Google and find 30 summer camps without any problem. As for predators using the information to choose their specific target, probably not.

The article then goes on to say:

"[Kids] were some things that we found that some of the kids posted that were really kind of nasty, saying bad things about counselors"

If they have to list this as one of the reasons to abolish MySpace, they need to grow up.

If someone can point me to some concrete facts about the number of abductions that have occurred solely as a result of a kid using MySpace (without any other factors) I will get off my soap box. I agree
one case is too many, and it is horrible, but would it have happened anyway without MySpace?

Why the snide tone?

[apflwr3]

I know "protecting the children" is a cliche, but doesn't it kind of apply here? Camp administrators are the children's guardians for the time they are there and have as much, if not more obligation as a parent to keep kids safe. They also have an obligation to protect themselves from lawsuits from parents if a fat kid trying to paddle a canoe becomes the next viral video...

As any Slashdot nerd who's been to camp (or gym class, or any other instance where 8-to-18 year olds are thrown together) there is a lot of pranks, hazing and other forms of humiliation that goes on in these environments. I bet the camps are more worried that photos of kids who had the ol' hand-in-warm-water trick pulled on them by their bunk mates will circulate (and then the potential lawsuits from parents afterwards.)

It's truly fascinating...

[CDarklock]

...how many adults are becoming absolutely PANICKED at the idea that children can TALK ABOUT THEM.

Adults have always treated children like crap, but there's never really been any concrete evidence of it because adults have played the strongarm card over everything the child is allowed to say or do. If you took a picture of an adult doing something embarrassing, the picture could be taken away. But now that the picture is a bundle of unfettered electrons stored on a web server that belongs to someone you DON'T have the right to bully and coerce, they can't do that anymore.

It might make being an adult somewhat more problematic, but I'm willing to bet it makes the children's lives a whole hell of a lot better.

The death of privacy is GOOD. The only people that care about it are the ones who shouldn't be doing what they're doing ANYWAY.

As a former camp counselor...

[SonicSpike]

I actually use MySpace to keep in touch with friends I met at camp and fellow counselors.

I am an Eagle Scout and after graduating from college last May I decided to serve as a counselor at my BSA camp in Florida as a water ski instructor (cush job, right?). It was the most fun I had ever had in my life. Gettin paid to drive a power boat around a lake.

They had a computer room setup for staff and adult leaders with a satellite downlink and phoneline for the uplink. The camp is very remote and no chance of DSL or cable. Because I work in the real world now and have a real job I won't get the chance to work there again this year although I want to soo badly.

At least using MySpace I can keep up with the people I met at camp. http://camplanoche.com/ is the place.