Parents Sue MySpace After Teen’s Suicide

14-year-old was sexually assaulted by man she met online
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 12, 2007 1:31 PM CST
Parents Sue MySpace After Teen’s Suicide
Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch, right, and Chris DeWolfe, left, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, MySpace answers questions during a talk at Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007.The Web 2.0 Summit, a conference for startups and other companies focused...   (Associated Press)

The parents of a 14-year-old who killed herself after being sexually assaulted by a man she met online have sued MySpace, charging the social networker “fostered” their daughter’s “despicable relationship" and pushing for more controls. "With MySpace's right to make a profit comes a responsibility to protect its customers," the parents' lawyer told the Dallas Morning News.

“MySpace knows that it is a haven for sexual predators, yet doesn't put in any security measures to protect young girls,” said Jason Itkin, whose firm is also involved in six other suits against the popular site. Roughly 29,000 sex offenders have been found on MySpace, but courts have thus far failed to insist on stronger age verification. (More MySpace stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X