Safety Issues There is NO verification of membership information. Because of this, and the huge popularity of the site, it is NOT uncommon for underage minors to obtain membership despite the site’s minimum age restriction of 14 years old. Given the relative social inexperience and trusting nature of young users, it can be expected that many may become the primary targets of child predators.
Members rely heavily on the use of detailed “profiles” to find and meet others with similar interests. Despite the fact that inclusion of telephone numbers, street addresses, and last names in a member’s profile are forbidden under the site’s TOS, age and city/state of residence information is AUTOMATICALLY populated into a member’s profile, based on the birthday and zip code fields required for completion of the initial membership form.
The site also provides a module designed for members to “rate” each other (from COLD to HOT!), based on their photos and other profile content. While on the surface this may appear to be a harmless exercise, such “comparisons” can be strong catalysts for “flaming,” cyberbullying and outright harassment.
Another risk is that information regarding a member’s school is encouraged to be inputted for support of the site’s “Classmate Finder” service. This database can be searched by SCHOOL NAME and STATE in order to identify all members that may attend a particular institution. From the standpoint of protecting a minor’s personal information, this can be VERY risky. |