Facebook is NOT for kids

Is it just me or does anybody else think that Facebook is for adults? There was a story in the news recently about a primary school teacher in the UK who was threatening to report the parents of kids who had Facebook accounts.  That means there are kids out there under the age of 13 (which is the Facebook age requirement to have an account) who are on Facebook. 

 

There’s also a woman in the States who has admitted to allowing her 11 year old son to sign up for a Facebook account and lie about his age. She maintains if she hadn’t allowed it, he would’ve done it behind her back.  I think this isn't right - shouldn't she just have told her kid no?

 

It isn’t just about the adult content on Facebook – although that is certainly my first concern. There are also so many other risks when you let your child have access to the internet / Facebook, such as the risk of data theft or malicious software, but there is also the risk of cyber bullying, which seems to be a growing trend, and terrifyingly, there is the unknown entity that is online predators.

 

As a parent it is my duty to ensure my children are kept safe, and that includes safe from the internet. It shouldn’t be the job of a school teacher or a multi-billion dollar corporation to remind me about it. And hiding behind a silly excuse of 'if I don't allow it they'll do it behind my back' sounds like the easy option.

 

Allowing children access to the internet and to have Facebook accounts is like allowing them to sit in a café on their own, talk to anybody they choose, tell everyone they meet any private information, and then allowing that person to come into your home and have access to your private information too. It is akin to putting them in a room with bullies and allowing them to take their best shot. And I dread to think about the online predators part of it.

 

No matter how much of a row it causes in our house, the answer to our young kids will be no.  The same way there is an appropriate age for their own mobile phone which isn't under 13.