Deceased teen parents sue MySpace

Here's a story out of Texas that caught my attention.

THE FAMILY OF A CALIFORNIA teen who committed suicide has sued MySpace in state court in Texas, charging that the company was negligent for enabling an alleged sexual predator to victimize their daughter.

In the lawsuit, the parents allege that Texas resident Kiley Ryan Bowers, now serving a nine-year prison term in California, "utilized the site to contact, seduce, meet, assault and then harass and torment" their 15-year-old daughter, Kristin Helms. Bowers pleaded guilty last year to two counts of interstate travel to have sex with a minor and transporting child pornography. Helms committed suicide while an investigation against him was pending.

We live in a digital age when younger generations are extremely open about what they share to strangers online. Parents have to pay closer attention to what their kids do online so these sort of things don't happen. Parents need to talk to their kids and be involved in their lives more than ever. Kids might hate it, but it can be balanced so your kids don't hate you for it. Better to be safe than sorry.

Tragic, yet classic story. What the hell were her parents doing in terms of monitoring her social life - not just after school hanging out but her online social life?