Study: Nothing to social networking fears.

49 state attorneys general established the Internet Safety Technical Task Force to study the impact of social networks like MySpace and Facebook on child sexual abuse.

For years some in the media and opportunist political officials, such as our own Illinois AG Lisa Madigan, have turned these networks into a bogey-man, whipping up fear and apprehension. So much so that these kinds of networks, which under teacher supervision could be wonderful teaching tools, have been banned from most schools.

The result of the study? There is simply no evidence to support the accusation that they are a fertile ground for child abuse.

The Internet may not be such a dangerous place for children after all.

A task force created by 49 state attorneys general to look into the problem of sexual solicitation of children online has concluded that there really is not a significant problem.

The findings ran counter to popular perceptions of online dangers as reinforced by depictions in the news media like NBC’s “To Catch a Predator” series. (source)