Invitation to Harm

(Getty Images; myspace.com)

MySpace executives say the site does protect underaged members. The site asks "members to let us know if the groups they set up are adult," wrote Hemanshu Nigam, chief security officer of MySpace, in an e-mail interview. "Additionally we monitor the site to identify any groups that may contain adult material and take appropriate action when we encounter them." My-Space wouldn't say whether the site had warned or shut down any groups. The site also cooperates with law enforcement agencies, said Nigam, and has established a 24-hour law enforcement hot line.

"MySpace members join the community to connect with others around shared interests and experiences, and the groups section of the site is an important component of how the community functions," Nigam e-mailed. "The MySpace community, like any offline community, permits a wide range of self-expression. . . . As a company, we are committed to smart health practices and social responsibility."

A 14-year-old New Jersey boy -- whose MySpace page says he is 19 -- belongs to groups including "Pain Pills," "The Drug Club," "Pill Poppers" and "i like lying on my bed for hours tripping on benadryl." He said his parents aren't aware he has a MySpace page or that he goes online to discuss drug use.

In messages exchanged with a reporter through MySpace and filled with misspellings and grammatical errors, he wrote, "My parents have not seen myspace but they do now alot of the things ive done with my life but not to the full extent to which drugs ive take and how many times . . . i dont show em, its that simple. in these group we discuss the newest and easiet methods of ingestion . . . We talk about legal highs and which pills are good and we also support those who made a change."

The groups allow users to trade tips and advice or to discuss shared interest in drugs, self-harm or other topics.

On a self-mutilation group called "Razorblade Kisses" -- which had nearly 200 members as of last week -- a message displays a "Cutting Warning Label" that warns, "before you make that first cut remember. You will enjoy this. You will find the blood and pain release addictive." And "be prepared to withdraw from others and live in a constant state of shame . . . you will find yourself lying to the people you love. You will jerk back from your friends when they touch you as if their hands were dipped in poison."

Another user responded: "this is so true but its how we live."

Some exchanges detail where and how to find certain prescription drugs.

In a group called "Pill Poppers United," a user asked if it's possible to get high off the pain medication Darvocet. One reply suggested hydrocodone instead for a better high.

Another poster in that same group asked about where to find Xanax -- which is used to treat anxiety and panic disorder -- for a good price, without a prescription.

In a group called "Druggies," a 15-year-old MySpace member started a topic called "Which drug do you like best?" The answers included marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, OxyContin and crystal meth.

Most of the steroid groups are frequented by bodybuilders. But some also discuss other drugs.

In a group called Steroids & Bodybuilding, for example, a 31-year-old Florida man lists prices for illegal sales of Xanax and Valium, another anti-anxiety drug. "If you have any questions, message me or post em in this thread," he states, after including the prices for 100, 500 or 1,000 pills of each type.

Robert Roth, coordinator of adolescent behavioral health at Montgomery General Hospital in Olney, said kids who come into his addiction clinic talk frequently of groups on MySpace, and it seems more popular among middle school students than with high school students. The parents of teens frequenting such groups "are usually completely unaware" of what they're doing, he said.

Roth said he warns the adolescents he sees to be wary of any information found online. "Anything you get on the computer, you don't know who's writing it," he said.

But outside addiction programs, many adults appear clueless about the underside of MySpace content.

"I would say that those groups are probably not well known," wrote the Florida man who posted the drug prices. "I think that most people view MySpace as 'clean fun' and probably don't think much about groups discussing drugs." ?

Comments: paynej@washpost.com.