[TokyoNiGHTS]

A former elementary school teacher who spent six months in jail for having sex with a 13-year-old student was arrested again, this time for violating probation by apparently communicating with the victim. Pamela Rogers, 28, was arrested Tuesday and released on $10,000 bond. A judge Wednesday ordered her to appear at a July 12 hearing. Last August, Rogers reached a plea deal to serve nine months on an eight-year sentence, allowing her to avoid a trial on 28 charges of sexual battery and statutory rape. She was released from jail in February for good behavior.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12289591/

There's since been videos released of her stripping that she sent to the kid. What's completely unsurprising is that its almost being treated as a joke in the media. Oh she just needs help, she doesn't need to go to jail. You can go to both jail and get help at the sametime. It goes further than that because you'll often see that the female teachers are often sentenced based on how they look. The better they look the less time they get, the uglier they look the more time they get.

[Lain]

It seems that anything that happens comes from MySpace. There's news of someone posting threats on MySpace, someone who met someone twice their age, and there was news that there was a video clip passed around on MySpace of two girls fighting each other (which took place in California).

One of these days, we might have to make a thread dedicated for all news that deals with MySpace. But for now, here's the link to an article on a story of how a mother allowed her 12-year old daughter to join MySpace:

Click Here

[AuburnGrad]

Originally Posted by TokyoNiGHTS http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12289591/ There's since been videos released of her stripping that she sent to the kid. What's completely unsurprising is that its almost being treated as a joke in the media. Oh she just needs help, she doesn't need to go to jail. You can go to both jail and get help at the sametime. It goes further than that because you'll often see that the female teachers are often sentenced based on how they look. The better they look the less time they get, the uglier they look the more time they get.

This particular case happened not too far from where I live, so as you can imagine it has been subject to quite the media coverage in the last few weeks. I wouldn't necessarily classify it as a joke coverage wise...yet. It is certainly getting to that point. Everyday it seems there are new images or video to be shown on the evening news or screenshots of her MySpace page.

As a teacher, I cannot even begin to imagine having an intimate relationship with one of my students...or even communicating in a "friends" capacity.

I'm not sure about the looks aspect, but there is definitely a double-standard when it comes to judging male teachers who put themselves in the same situation.

I have mixed feelings about MySpace. I have an account myself and enjoy communicating with friends (my own age). I've seen some of my students' pages and was surprised by some of the content, though not too terribly alarmed. The biggest and most unsettling issue I see is the posting of personal info. ...name, school, age, sports played...it would be so simple to track some of these kids down.

[TokyoNiGHTS]

Originally Posted by AuburnGrad This particular case happened not too far from where I live, so as you can imagine it has been subject to quite the media coverage in the last few weeks. I wouldn't necessarily classify it as a joke coverage wise...yet. It is certainly getting to that point. Everyday it seems there are new images or video to be shown on the evening news or screenshots of her MySpace page.

I'm sure its alot more serious around where its taking place. But in the national media its almost considered a joke. The Rita Cosby show had an ad for the story where they were playing circus music during the promo for it. I've also seen people laughing and joking when talking about the case, which would never happen if this were a case about a man sleeping with a female student, even if the female student said to the media that she wanted it to happen.

Originally Posted by AuburnGrad I have mixed feelings about MySpace. I have an account myself and enjoy communicating with friends (my own age). I've seen some of my students' pages and was surprised by some of the content, though not too terribly alarmed. The biggest and most unsettling issue I see is the posting of personal info. ...name, school, age, sports played...it would be so simple to track some of these kids down.

I started checking out MySpace before it really became the place it is now. It was mainly only a place where smaller bands would be able to post their music for people to check out. Since then its become yet another place for predators to latch onto kids. I still think it's a good place like any other communication service, but its in need of some big time moderating. I believe they're starting to do that now.

[Lain]

This is why I don't put so much info about myself. Such as where I live, where I go on my free time, etc.

There are too many kids joining it...which is not a good idea (and I joined when I was 17). These are young as 12...junior high school students. And you're absolutely right, MySpace has become an easy place for predators. There is no security because you can fake your age even if you're not 14.

And people can impersonate others. There was one when this kid impersonated a cop. Unless if you know people personally, you can't trust anyone. Like you Auburn, I got mixed feelings about MySpace too (since I have an account as well). What scares me the most is that 30 year olds try to add me. (Even if that is my real age on my page).

[TokyoNiGHTS]

Originally Posted by angel_boogiepop There are too many kids joining it...which is not a good idea (and I joined when I was 17). These are young as 12...junior high school students. And you're absolutely right, MySpace has become an easy place for predators. There is no security because you can fake your age even if you're not 14.

This is very true. Alot of the kids are just outsiders and now here about how its an easy place to get friends so they set up an account and just accept anyone who wants to be their friend. And that eventually leads to all the situations you hear about with someone meeting someone on MySpace and eventually meeting where they're either raped of molested by that person. Parents are just now starting to catch wind of this but I don't think they realise how bad it really is. It's not so much that you can't trust your kid with the computer, its that you can't trust the other people who're talking to your kid on their own computer.

There was a story a few weeks ago about how several boys impersonated a young girl on MySpace. They got a sexual predator to meet them in the park where he was arrested for not just that but prior charges. But that just shows how easy it is. If someone on there thinks they have a kid they're going to jump on them. I think this story (the one I posted above) just goes to show that it isn't just old men that are out here looking for children on the net despite the belief of many.

[Lain]

^ ^ Child predators can pose as teens and try to be your friend. And when it's time to meet, danger lurks.

That's why I don't have a lot of "random" people as friends. There are a lot of people who have 1,000 friends and all I can do is shake my head and say "How the fk could you have that many friends?" 1,000 friends, very little comments, that's saying you're just here for the popularity contest.

The only people I really have on MySpace is my cousins, friends from school, friends from FF, and the very few that I haven't met. It takes me a very long while to trust them to be sure that they're not coming on to me.

Now that I'm typing this, I just thought of something. Now that some company bought out the whole MySpace fad and making all these new features like the music player or the feature to upload video clips in to your account, shouldn't they have the time to install some security software that enables to catch underage kids?

[Ms Carolyn]

The only way to catch underage kids is to build a polygraph into the keyboard. Thing is, 14 isn't really that much better than 12, when a predator is out looking for a child to attack. It's still really young! I think that the age limits might just need to be raised to driving age, and anyone wanting to join will have to submit their driver's license number (or state ID number) and have it verified before their membership is confirmed. Of course, then you run into the problem of kids stealing their parents driver's license to sign up, but I do think it would slow them down!

[TheAngel]

I have a myspace account and every friend I have on myspace is either a friend in real life or someone from a class at school that I know I can count on if I have a problem. The only guy I don't really know is a kid from near me that has a motorcycle and so do I. But we don't talk much and I won't ever meet him anywhere. If he tracks me down at school I'm in a public space so I don't really care. But kids don't realize stuff like this. They think if someone says (or types) something then it's true.

[jalapeno_wildchild]

why can't people have sex with people around their own age? a 28 year old woman having sex with a 13 year old boy is weird, not to mention disgusting. the woman has "issues" if she prefers a 13 year old boy to a man her own age.

[Bill the bloodless]

that woman needs help, it's just as sick as a woman sher age having sex with a 13 year old. seriously how can a kid be good in bed??
Myspace seems to be getting dangerous....

[TheAngel]

I have having relationships with people my own age. But that's because I'm 18 and most boys are way too immature, lol. The guys I normally date or are interested in are 22, 23, but I can't imagine dating anyone much, much older or much, much younger. Much less sleeping with someone that was thirteen or fourteen. I'm a youth director at my church so I know those kids. It's disturbing to me that someone could justify their actions to do something like that.

[jalapeno_wildchild]

i wouldn't mind going out with someone a few years younger than me but i would never go out with a boy who is just hitting puberty.

[Jen Jaree]

I am 20 I am not really into younger guys. I like older guys right now a few years older is no big deal but if he was old enough to be father that would be creepy.

[86amanda86]

Yeah, my friends list is strictly limited to people I know personally, or know through other people, or FF people. As far as dating younger people, it's one thing if you are 27 and your boyfriend is 24, but an entirely different one if you are 17 and your boyfriend is 13...I happen to like older men. I'm 19 and I'm generally interested in men between 5 and 10, sometimes even 15 years older than me. It hasn't always been this way, I would never have dated someone over 5 years older than me in high school, but I'm a little more grown up now, and capable of making decisions about who is worthy of my attention. The guy I'm semi interested in right now is 28. But I would never date someone I met from the internet, no matter his age. I think you have to be really careful on the internet. Some places, I think it's better to lie about where you live, or just not to put the information in. Overall I think it's best to be as vague as you can.