Youth pastors, rabbis on MySpace

MySpace says 14% of its users are under 18, and that's likely why youth-oriented religious leaders are there. Some are there just to monitor young people's activity, some to keep in touch and be a presence in their online lives. All the above seem to understand that social networking can be used positively and negatively, and a mom and theology professor at Princeton University told the Religion News Service that she feels it's "more helpful" for adults to be aware of both positives and negatives than to "spend all our time railing against it." A regional youth minister in the southern US who's registered on MySpace said she gets messages about everything from what school dances were like to "I hate my life, I want to die," and she acts on the latter immediately. Other examples: "Reform Jewish teen leaders from the North American Federation of Temple Youth recently adopted their 'OurSpace Recommendation' in which they pledged to be conscious of their actions and urge their peers to integrate Jewish values into online communities." And a youth consultant at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops advises youth ministers to "get on MySpace for information but not communication."