Although Jennifer Mee received press in 2007 for her unbelievable case of the hiccups, she is now famous for another reason – an alleged role in the murder of 22-year-old Shannon Griffin. Many sources are saying this was a robbery gone wrong, as the suspect’s original intent was only to rob Griffin. The other scary part of the story is that Mee lured Griffin to the house after reaching out to him on a social networking site, most likely Facebook or MySpace.

Whether or not murder was Mee’s actual plan, comments on her MySpace page arouse other suspicions. She calls herself the “female version of a hustla” and describes going through life struggles and feeling older than her age. On her Facebook page, she talks about a great weekend with her boyfriend and their plans to go to a strip club.

Although Mee, her accomplices, and Griffin were all older and more independent than kids and young teenagers, there are a lot of takeaways from this recent story. Had Griffin been younger and his parents more aware of his online activity – and the questionable material Mee posted on her profiles – this tragedy could have been prevented. Parents, to avoid your kids ever being caught up in a situation even half as dangerous as this, remember the following:

• Know who your kids are friends with online
• Recognize the language used on these friends’ profiles
• Understand the conversations between your kids and their friends
• Identify who your friends are spending time with both online and offline

With SocialShield’s Friends Engine™, you can receive alerts about any questionable friends your kid associates with online. For example, parents are notified if someone has a profile as a kid but holds other online accounts that suggest more adult activity.

Are you familiar with your child’s social network friends? Have you ever been suspicious about someone your child is talking to online?