I read, with interest, the article by Moreno et al. Whilst I applaud
the authors for raising this important and topical subject, I had several
concerns about the validity of their proposed ethical framework.
In broad terms, there is no mention of how the framework was
developed. In the absence of information, I was forced to conclude that
the ethical questions (and solutions) posed by the authors were purely the
authors’ opinions. Specifically, were adolescents consulted in any way?
Were they asked about their thoughts on investigators researching their
MySpace pages or were they asked if the ethical troubles posed by the
authors were shared by them?
The ethical framework proposed by the authors is described as one "to
guide researchers, sponsors, and IRBs in making informed and appropriate
decisions". Did the authors ask IRB members for their opinions? The
framework will be of little practical use if IRBs feel that, at best, it
adds nothing to their usual practices, or at worst, it contradicts their
standards.
Consequently, the framework will be rendered useless by researchers
and sponsors if adolescent MySpace users and IRBs do not endorse it. I
was disappointed that the proposed solution to the important and topical
question of research ethics and social networking amongst teenagers has
not (apparently) been subjected to the appropriate level of scrutiny that
it deserves.
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
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