Kirk: Limit access to social networking sites

Flanked by the mayor and police chief as well as other community representatives, 10th District U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk Monday used a Mount Prospect news conference to tout legislation he says is intended to protect children from predators on social networking Web sites.

Kirk particularly singled out the site Second Life. On Second Life, users create an online persona for themselves and can engage in a variety of supposedly fantasy behaviors, including illegal actions like prostitution and drug dealing.

He cited legislation he introduced requiring libraries to get parental permission for children using networking Web sites and requiring schools to prevent children from accessing them.

Demonstrating the risks in MySpace, Mount Prospect police officers described a project in which they created a fictional profile of a 15-year-old girl.

They said a 29-year-old man sent the fake girl a message asking to get to know her better and another individual sent her a message encouraging her to contact a companionship service in Elk Grove Village.