Some states are trying to regulate social networking sites by having them install special programming that will make sure no one under 18 can sign up without a parent's consent. This means teens will not be able to have a profile on, or use, a social networking site without their parent's permission.

This is an over reaction to a problem, not a solution. Today's kids need to learn about the Internet. The Internet is their future. Kids have been creating personal Web sites for over a decade and will continue doing so.

Not being able to create their Web pages on a social networking site will not solve the problem. They will just do it somewhere else. This somewhere else may not have the protection that a social networking site can offer. Sites like MySpace watch over the kids and do things everyday to try to keep them safe. If the kids are creating their Web sites on GeoCities or Freeservers instead there will be no one to protect them.

If done right, social networking sites can be a positive thing for teens. It helps them meet new people and learn about other societies, beliefs and ways of life. It keeps them from becoming sheltered and naive, which in my opinion is a dangerous thing in today's world.

Teens love social networking. They can email or IM their friends and keep in touch with what's going on in their lives. They want the Internet to be as simple and innocent as it is on TV where you only get email from friends and spam doesn't exist. It's all they want. It's all any of us want.

In the future the kids will be working on the Internet. Shouldn't they have the chance to learn about how to use it appropriately and safely now? If they do then they have a head start on their futures. I say, teach them how to be safe and what it unsafe and let them have their fun.

Do you know what kind of social networking legislation your state has planned?