Do you let your kids on Facebook?
By: juliekm
May 26th, 2011
3:18 pm
My son is on Facebook, but not my daughter. I really don 't like it. I keep reading articlies like this one Is Michael Arrington Naive When it Comes to Facebook? | Bisirk. People are saying facebook is becoming like "big brother". I personally don't use it and I don't know if I want my kids using it either. Anyone else read about this?
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29 comments on "Do you let your kids on Facebook?"
May 26, 2011 at 3:36 pm
I use it, my teens use it and when my little ones hit 12 they will use it (with careful watching).
Honestly the article holds little weight for me, yes we are airing our laundry but the kids and myself say nothing that we wouldn't say to people anyways. As with anything you have to use caution.
May 26, 2011 at 6:22 pm
oh my gosh my 10 year old hacked my facebook and added her friends! lol....at least now I get to see what her friends are really like teeeeheeee
May 27, 2011 at 11:47 am
My older kids used to be on facebook but the thrill was short lived. They joined more for the games. Children still living in my home and using my Internet have to give me their passwords to Facebook and have me on their friends list. But they just don't seem to interested in using it as a social forum, but just for the games.
May 27, 2011 at 7:27 pm
Facebook can lead to an invasion of privacy, I deleted mine because I felt like the profiles asked for way too much personal information. I only let my kids use them without filling out the personal information
May 28, 2011 at 4:24 am
I'm not there yet, and I can only imagine what sorts of things I will have to deal with by the time I do get there.
My problem with things like Facebook is that it is sort of like a tatoo - a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling, and unfortunately, teenagers have some pretty extreme temporary feelings and very low filtering skills. My point is they are likely to post compromising statements and pictures that will follow them around for the rest of their lives.
There is also the issue of predators and identity thieves. I've seen several demonstrations on the ways that predators sucker in young girls and boys. There are even services online you can subscribe to that allow you to change your voice when you call someone, as well as make the call appear to come from someone in your phone address list. I sat next to the teacher who received the call from the male officer at the front of the cafeteria. The caller ID showed his friend's name, and the caller's voice was that of a young girl, even though it was the officer saying the words into his phone.
I remember seeing a special on the local news about 20 years ago or more, in which parents of young children were interviewed about teaching their children not to talk to strangers. The parents all were confident that their children would not talk to any strangers. Then, their children were filmed playing in a local park and a "stranger" approached them with a puppy, needing some help, looking for his son, etc. Every single time, the child fell for the act and went with the stranger. The parents were shocked.
I think teenagers are even more like that. They think they know who they can trust and they aren't going to be swayed by you, the parent. I know I was like that, and I was a very good kid.
May 29, 2011 at 2:20 pm
well, not yet, though i let my older son play some games from my account. by the time they become teenagers -- i'm afraid there will be something else besides facebook. a couple of years ago it was MySpace what ruled the world, before that the big scary thing was IRC.
June 20, 2011 at 9:51 am
I let my kids use facebook, if they are good kids should be a problem
June 21, 2011 at 10:59 am
My oldest has had a facebook account since he was 15 or 16...but I didn't worry because him and his friends friended me on there! So I see what is going on back and forth (and sometimes they do forget mom is watching!) My youngest is 11 and I will not allow him to have an account until he's older. Even then, I will have to be a "friend" of his on there. I keep a good eye on my boys.
June 21, 2011 at 8:40 pm
I let my tween until I saw what the other girls were doing to her. They were taking her picture and making her look ugly with apps. I took it down. I took mine down too.
Facebook is aweful.
I hope she doesn't make another one!
June 24, 2011 at 12:10 am
Not yet, but plan to allow him when he's 13 years old.
June 27, 2011 at 5:45 pm
facebook is an aweface that when school bullying turn into cyber bulling
June 28, 2011 at 5:10 pm
Once I let my kid on facebook and it didn't go good.
June 28, 2011 at 9:18 pm
I let my son have a FB, however I have the password (which I don't think he realizes).
June 29, 2011 at 5:32 am
My nephew is 11, he's been on facebook for about 6 months or so, him and all his friends are on but have entered false ages. On the one hand there are the worries to consider that have been posted so far and that we see in the news and media. On the other hand, most of what i've seen him and his friends posting is just juvenile nonsense!
June 29, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Facebook allows opening profile to people the age of 13th and over.
Children often fake their age, but this means that a child under 13 should not open the profile in the Feceebook.
June 29, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Facebook allows opening profile to people the age of 13th and over.
Children often fake their age, but this means that a child under 13 should not open the profile in the Feceebook.
July 27, 2011 at 12:38 pm
NO
There are safer and friendlier children sites out there such as OKIEPOKIE.com
Parent's have to be responsible and explain children the rules to online safety, things have evolved and not talking to strangers includes online
August 5, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Also, as someone had already said...what is said on Facebook...follows you. Prospective employers look on social pages such as Facebook. Even current employers search them. At my old job (retired), more than one Officer had been fired because of bad judgement in what was either said, or shown, in Facebook.
Children don't often think of the future in the long term. Not only what your children say on Facebook...but what their friends say...and who they are (as portrayed...and often dramatized heavily) affects other's view of your child.
Big Universities, Military, Law Enforcement...any high speed Employer uses social pages as part of their background check.
Anything that even remotely looks like a gang sign in a photo in which your child is in, spells employment or higher education (famous Universities) death for your child...even years later. Remember, they need not give a reason for closing a door of opportunity...they simply won't pick your child for unspecified reasons.
August 8, 2011 at 10:00 pm
I have a fb but rarely get I don't have a kid old enough to get on yet
August 9, 2011 at 6:14 pm
luckily my daughter is too young for it but i have a feeling when the time comes when she's old enough to use the computer on her own, something else will take over facebook.
and since we are on this topic, there are more sites you should be concerned about and you most likely haven't heard about it.