I was thinking the same thing last night... when I met a girl on AIM via another friend. I didn't know her, but I sent her a message and started chatting. I was a stranger, at first, but we were probably thousands of miles away! I can't come through the computer screen and grab her!

However... at the mall, you are LITERALLY inches away from real kidnappers, molesters and the such! Hmmmm... maybe your kids shouldn't go to Hollister alone...

It all boils down to parenting... 100 years ago, you didn't have to worry about your child being hit by a car... there were NO cars. Today, parents must teach their kids to "look both ways before crossing..."

So, PARENTS, teach your kids the proper way to navigate social interaction websites. These websites aren't going away. Freedom of speech and the freedom of information is here forever. No one ever imagined we'd all be getting news, entertainment, schoolwork, homework, office work, via the Internet. But, we are. And social interaction is the next big thing... and it ain't going away.

Parents, look at your child's MySpace page. If there is anything wrong with it, fix it. Tell them to remove any personal info that may harm them. But, DON'T forbid MySpace... that's the first reason kids will rebel and use it at someone else's house. Teach them why you can't put personal info out there. It can be dangerous on the Internet, but we all live on the Internet. So, teach them the rules of the Web.

I admit. I use MySpace. I'm 28 years old. I use it for communication... more than personal e-mail. I only have a handful of people's real e-mail addresses or cell numbers... but I have 250 friends on MySpace. I don't have to track people down to get their e-mail address... my friends find me!

I've found 10 people from my high school days... and that was over 10 years ago! Plus, countless friends from college. It's a great tool. There's no way I'd find this many people without a social interaction website.

The rules haven't changed too much... "Don't give out your phone # or address. Don't give out your name. Don't meet strangers without your parents." This now applies to the Internet as well.

Parents... step up!