I just wanted to get the general consensus here on letting young kids join Facebook. I plan on making my kids wait until they are AT LEAST 13 per Facebook rules. However, many of my daughter's 4th grade classmates are already on. She, of course thinks it's soooo unfair that they get to go on when she can't. I think it's sending kids the wrong message to let them have an account before they're old enough. I think it's like saying it's ok to break the rules if you don't like them. I just remind her that we follow rules in our family. Plus I find FB a totally unnecessary activity for kids. It's addictive, it's a major time suck, it's a total brag fest and they're even saying kids are getting depressed because they think their friends are more popular, have more fun, have more glamorous lives based on what they put on FB. I know that social networking isn't going anywhere, but the longer I can keep my kids away from it, the better. What do you all think?
Well, it sounds like most of you agree with me. For those who think it's no big deal, you're lying about your child's age to sign them up. What are you teaching your kids?
I responded to a similar question and was trying to remember how old the twins are that friended me; I was guessing 10. But I ran across their birth announcement the other day & they are 9! Their mom is/was a girl scout leader and she's on there....
I agree with you.
I can't even imagine what a field day I would've had with it, though, if it had been around when I was that age. Mercy!
I'm with you. My cousin let her son get an account last year when he was 12, but only if he agreed to allow her to monitor it on a regular basis. I've known some people to let their younger kids get an FB account just to play games, but I really don't see where that's even necessary - there are plenty of other ways to play electronic games and like you said, it's a major time suck and can lead to all kinds of on-line cyber-drama. Not to mention that some of the games give you the option of paying money to get this or that and I've heard of some kids being able to do this without their parents knowledge and causing major problems. And too many kids are just too naive and immature to know that posting personal information (like addresses, etc.), or pictures of their house from the outside, or showing off the new car or TV, or stuff like the family vacation they are going on for 2 weeks (which is like saying, Hello, go ahead and rob our house while we are not home), is just asking for trouble. It just seems like too many parents let their kids do too much too soon, and then we wonder why our kids are growing up too fast and can't just be kids for a longer period of time.
I agree!! We got my step daughter a net book for Christmas last year, and told her that we would have to see how she did having her own computer for a while before we would let her get an account. Fast forward to April of this year, we come across not one, but TWO accounts under her name, with no security settings in place, and info about our family and pictures of her little brother! She also had set up her own e-mail addresses without permission, because we told her that with her cell phone, there is no need to have email at her age. Needless to say, the accounts went bye bye, and she ended up being grounded for 8 weeks, because she just didn't think she did anything wrong. Let me tell you, she isn't getting that laptop back as long as she lives under my roof!! She is just now allowed to use the internet again, with direct supervision.
nope. No need at that age.
I agree with you. We just let our 13 yr old son get one. He's been 13 since mid-summer, but he only set up an account about 2 weeks ago. Why? Only because we are home/virtual/cyber schooling this year, and his cyber school has students across the entire state. The kids have a group page on there (found it thru a parents group set up thru FB) only for kids in the cyber school. They MUST be 13 to join and they cannot use their parents' FB account to access it. It gives him an opportunity to talk with, bounce ideas off of, chat with other kids doing the same thing he is. His brick and mortar friends don't know what "Criterion" is for example (an online writing program that the school uses for the kids to submit essays and things). Or what "custom assessments" are (a bi-weekly quiz of sorts to assess their progress).... But the school itself is very strict about letting the kids exchange any personal information... so they can't exchange email addresses and chat that way. FB turned out to be the perfect solution!
We have his password. And if at any time he does anything inappropriate, we will make him delete/close the account. Frankly, he rarely bothers with it. He has gotten dozens of friend requests from his Brick and mortar friends, from his instructors and fellow students at his karate school, from relatives, etc... but he just isn't that into it. Which is GREAT. BUT, it does serve as a way for him to communicate with like students, if he so chooses.
I think (hope) it will get old quickly altogether. My son has strict rules about what is ok. He is NEVER to type ANyTHING "not nice". If someone is posting "so & so is so gross, they did this..." he is not to comment. Etc.
My kids won't be on FB until at least 13 years old, and longer if I can help it. Once they're on I'll have access to their passwords and accounts and keeping tight control. I've seen firsthand what happens when parents don't keep an eye their childrens online activities and don't use parental controls to protect their children.
I would not allow it and if I found out my DD was using FB in 4th grade, I'd report her and she'd be banned from internet use. There's a lot online that is NOT for younger kids (or even teenagers).
There will be MANY things she will think are unfair, but you don't need to give in.
If you don't already have blocking software, put some on your computer and block FB.
My SD is 17 and I have had to speak with her about inappropriate things her friends posted on her page and, more alarming to me, told her to remove pictures of her little sister. Nothing lewd, just that I feel that it is not necessary to post my young child online. SD can post herself, but she cannot post DD and that's been a family rule since DD was born. SD has mutual friends on her FB so I usually hear through the grapevine pretty quickly if there's something I should know.
I agree with you completely.
Maybe it is because my kids aren't those kids that have to update every time they sneeze but I don't get what the big deal is with Facebook.
Neither of my younger kids have asked about it but I don't think I would take their age into consideration in the decision but their level of responsibility and maturity. I also wouldn't take into consideration who in their class does or does not have one.
My son just turned 13 and is not interested in Facebook.
He can get his own page if he wants when he grows up and moves out but while he lives with us, Facebook is not allowed.
He doesn't get computer time whenever he wants it.
Every time someone gets in trouble over Facebook, I let him know about it so he is not ignorant about the trouble that can happen.
A senior girl in our local high school just got a 90 day suspension (she was almost expelled) for joking about shooting a teacher at her school who gave her a grade she felt she didn't deserve on an English paper.
People need some maturity before getting onto a social network.
As it is there are too many adults who don't handle it well let alone kids and teens.
Everyone of my friends have their kids on FB and just put in that they are adults. That way the account does not indicate they are kids in any way. They all play games on there with each other and the moms have the search parameters limited so that they cannot be searched for or seen on other peoples friend lists.
If you look at the games on FB there are tons of them that are almost at a pre-school level so I know they expect the kids to be on there playing.
