PORTLAND, Ore. - All it takes is a few clicks on myspace.com and millions of private lives are very public, a virtual 'dear diary' for anyone to see.

"Everybody's got a MySpace, it's what you do," one teen told KATU News.

"MySpace is kind of like a cigarette," another teen said. "You don't want to do it. It gets so addicting, but then you can't stop."

The Web site's creators call MySpace.com a social network, but if parents are not paying attention, it could be a dangerous doorway.

The Web site boasts 43 million members, often surpassing Google in the number of hits it gets each month. Approximately 160,000 people join MySpace.com every day. Tigard High School alone has close to 600 members.

MySpace users create elaborate pages called 'profiles' to keep up with old friends and make new ones. They post photos and stories in intimate detail.

At first glance, the idea seems harmless. So KATU News opened an account posing as a 16-year-old just to see what would happen.

Within days, we got an unsolicited message in our inbox referencing a young woman's racy web cam.

While that is disturbing in itself, what is most disturbing is what teenagers themselves are posting on the Web site.

Lisa Williams is a computer savvy mom and checks up on her teenagers' MySpace accounts.

Still, she was shocked when we showed her page after page of teenagers in provocative poses and confessing to every parent's worst nightmares - bragging about sex and drugs.

"This is what scares me as a parent, right here, and what really scares me is my 12-year-old knows how to get all this," she says.

A 12-year-old is technically not allowed to be on the site, but Katy Williams lied about her age to open her account and admits that an older man has contacted her.

"That scared me," she says. "Like the first time, I got really freaked out."

However, Katy Williams and her generation think they are smart enough about the Internet to keep themselves safe.

"We don't put where we live or anything," she says. "Like I said I was a 7 foot, 9 inch tall body builder and I was Asian."

However, even a tiny bit of information, when coupled with pictures, can be enough for someone to figure out who you are.

For example, Katy's 17-year-old sister revealed details about her life on her MySpace page, details that included what high school she attends, when she will be graduating and where she has worked.

"That's all a perpetrator really needs to go out and find that child," says Jeff Green, a detective with Clackamas County's Child Abuse Team.

Green says when he busts pedophiles, he often finds MySpace accounts on their computers.

While the Web site can be a way to connect with friends, Green sees it as an online catalog, offering child predators one-stop shopping.

Green says parents need to get techno-savvy, ask their kids questions and find out what they are putting on the Web site.

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Helpful Links MySpace.com Net Nanny Get Net Wise SafeKids.com

"Do you let your kid go over to a person's house you don't know? If you don't, then why are you letting them communicate with somebody on the computer that you don't know," says Green.

It is not just the threat from a stranger that can be harmful to your kids, there is also the threat from so-called friends. Rude comments posted on MySpace.com are seen instantly by hundreds of people.

"Sometimes I hear racist comments, or I read racist comments," says Spencer Imlah, a Junior at Tigard High School.

"Fights go on at different schools and so a lot of people put a comment on someone else's MySpace and it starts it up again," says E.J. Chesnutis, a Senior at Tigard High School.

Schools from Canby to Portland have recently had to deal with out of control rumors that spread from cyberspace to campus.

That is why St. Anthony School is getting involved by sending home letters to educate parents of junior high students to be on the lookout.

"We don't like to see any of our students bullied," says Karen Bolliger. "When you can see something in print about yourself or about your friends or your hairstyle or your height, this is doubly hurting."

The best advice for teenagers who want to use MySpace.com is to not post anything that your parents, principal or predators should not see.

Parents are urged to create their own account and go online to see what their kids are writing and what others are saying about them.

KATU News did get e-mails from people who say they love MySpace.com and have no problem with their kids using it.

A company official with MySpace.com told KATU News that any nudity or hate speech is removed from the Web site and any harassment or safety issues are dealt with quickly.

The Web site also restricts users to those over 14 years old, but there is no real way to police that rule.

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