The Online Kids Quiz

DAVIS, CA--(Marketwire - October 22, 2009) - According to The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com, (in the sex and tech survey which surveyed 1,280 teens and young adults), a significant number of teens (20 percent aged 13 - 19) have electronically sent, or posted online, nude or semi-nude pictures or video of themselves. And although most teens and young adults the research showed are sending sexually suggestive content to boyfriends/girlfriends, other teens (15 percent) say they are sending such material to those they only know online and not in real life.

In answer to these statistics, Mary Kay Hoal -- President and Founder of Yoursphere.com, the only safety-first social networking site that only allows kids to become members -- has assembled a quiz for parents to separate the fact from the fiction about kids online.

Q: Most social networking Web sites and forums verify identities and screen members before accepting them.

A: FALSE -- In fact, most social networking sites do not screen new members at all. The only thing you need to have to become a member of Facebook or MySpace is a valid email address. Beyond that, anything goes.

Q: Having a profile on a social networking site set to "Private" safeguards a person from anyone intending them harm.

A: FALSE -- Members with profiles set to private can still get friend requests and are two clicks away from pornographers, trollers, or others intending harm.

Q: It's really the "fringe kids" that are in danger on social networking sites.

A: FALSE -- According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Cox Communications, 30 percent of teens have considered meeting someone that they have only talked to online and 14 percent have actually had such an encounter. So, it's not just the fringe kids -- it may very well be your kids who are in danger without the right guidance and safeguards.

About Mary Kay Hoal

Conceived and founded by Mary Kay Hoal -- a concerned mother and executive -- Yoursphere.com is the first social networking service for youth that parents can embrace. Drawing on her corporate entrepreneurial experience as a media strategist, advertising, marketing and publishing VP formerly with CMP Media LLC, Mary Kay assembled the Yoursphere team.

Contact Information: Contact: Rachel Friedman Rachel@newsandexperts.com