BEBO

[freddie_mercury]

totally agree with the general, my 2 sons have bebo and if you cannot trust your children having an account on bebo and are scared who is viewing/speaking to them. then neither should you trust them having access to the internet at all!

also why is it bebo that is being targeted? as there is numerous other sites such as my space and profile heaven which are just as vunerable!

[Sweltered]

Don't you realise that it's not your kids behaviour you have to worry about, take your head out of the sand, or your
ar$e, which ever is appropriate.

Obviously its not just Bebo Freddy, this site just happens to be the one being mentioned at the moment. People aren't making up scare stories for the fun of it, these things happen, and Campbeltown is not immune.

[general jack o'niell]

there seems to be an assumption that kids are all gullible and will run off at the drop of a hat to meet someone they met online. my pair will go nowhere without a lift and since they've had cynicysm drilled into them from an early age i think they are safe. they don't believe a single word i tell them so how are they going to get taken in by strangers, the piece at any door theory aside!!!

still that won't stop it happening, in a world where parents think that school and state are responsible for their childrens wellbeing, already i've heard some ask what the school is doing about it!!! but then its the offspring of morons that always end up in these sorry tales

the sooner they introduce an exam that you have to pass before you are allowed to re-produce the better, and i don't mean having the ability to memorise your NI number and fill in an emergency loan form at the social.

[Surfbored]

I've watched this thread evolve, and the scariest thing BY FAR, are the lengths some parents will go to to remain "in control".

They are either amazingly naive OR have great potential to unleash yet more adults "lacking" in key life skills to embark upon life.

[Sweltered]

[big tony]

oh come on now? i bet you were?

i bet you rolled those puppy dog eyes and kicked your feet in the air whenyou got your tummy tickled.

a wee ruffle of the hair and a "who's a wee cutie pie?" and you'd be grinning from ear to ear.

i bet you did

i bet you did

i bet you did now?

who's a wee cutie pie?

[the phone girl]

Its not just about pervs in dark places luring children away. Although you don't have to be clever to work out where half of them will be on certain nights as they give details of hobbies such as various bands and dance groups and sports clubs. These people can take a long time to groom a child. They have convo's with them leave comments on their pages, side with them in arguments, back them up and they all 'love' each other. They commiserate with them when they are grounded or punished for various misdemeanors. It's also about the children themselves who are targeting each other. Children in this area have expressed radical and illegal views, have been reported and have been dealt with by the criminal justice authorities. This is not harmless banter, its not about the swearing - kids swear - at that age its big and clever.... its about racism, homophobia and sectarianism and intollerance. Its about children organising fights between children, egging them on.. These are things I have seen not heard. Its about bullying to a sometimes frightening degree. I can see that some don't take it very seriously and that's sad. Its not just Bebo but that's what our kids seem to prefer. If you want a scare check out Bingbox and I know that a good few Campbeltown kids have home pages luckily they don't seem to have used them much. I found out about this site by accident when a child block invited her contact list to view her new home page and obviously forgot I was in the middle. You can report abuse on these sites - nothing is done about it. Sometimes a home page may, with pressure, be deleted. I know the Police have been involved with Bebo - this is not heresay, this is fact. If we do not moderate our children's opinions then there will be few of us able to take our families to visit poor Sweltered in Florida (don't worry we won't all come at once!) as childrens' panel convictions stay on your record for life and these things can count against us for entry to places such as America. And, if they manage not to be picked up on extreme opinions when kids then once of age, after a bucket of drink, these opinions will out netting a conviction in the adult courts. And it is becoming more and more common. I'll continue to monitor my kids - just for my own personal peace of mind. I think I have good kids but they are no angels, just normal kids. What anyone else does is entirely up to them.

[Bobbie En Tejas]

Phonegirl, sounds like you are a very reasonable parent. Keeping some reigns on your kids, and keeping an open eye sounds like good parenting to me. Parents have an obligation to protect their children from danger and abuse, and also make sure their kids are walking the right direction. Some parents who are vigilantly watching out for strangers out to get their children would be shocked to realize their little angels are the ones other people have to watch out for.

And while people are very concerned about people out to take advantage of their children on Bebo, most child molesters are known by the child, are friends of the family or relatives, and no community is immune, not bebo, not myspace, not campbeltown, not san antonio. The web has a lot of positives. The best weapon to keep kids safe is to keep them smart.

[Sweltered]

NIce to see people inviting themselves for holidays We've only got one spare room, but the rates are resonable

[Bobbie En Tejas]

Sweltered, since the storm moved the bedroom to the backyard of your neighbor 2 doors down, thats very generous of you

[The Bairn]

I only found out this week that I could have an account on Bebo and within 10 minutes of registering I found out some pretty important stuff about my son and what he and his friends had been up to . I felt extremely stupid and naive for thinking that Bebo was just an extension of texting. I was shocked to say the least at some of the young girls, 13,14,15 year old's sites, some are practically pornographic, girls heavily made up with make up posing for the camera in a suggestive manner. I suggest ALL parents sign up for this site as it will definately open your eyes. I intend to continue to monitor my son's site whether he likes it or not.

As for children going missing, about 20 years ago I can remember a girl I went to school with being followed by a man in a car and they actually tried to drag her into it, so it could ( I sincerely hope not) happen in Campbeltown, it is not immune.

[Sweltered]

Yes, nice picture of the burd in a thong in the other fla's page. And the topless golfers are exceptional

[White Van Man]

There is a Bebo scandal brewing in the Dale.

No names, no pack drill, but keep your ears to the groond.

[Beachcomber]

From this month's Carradale Primary School Newsletter:

"We have been alerted to a case of cyber bullying involving pupils in school on the Bebo website. The police are involved and a child has been charged. As this is a site for children of thirteen years and over, can I strongly recommend that no pupil in primary school have a presence there?"

[Annie]

WOW! How the heck did primary school kids get on Bebo???