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I dunno- yes you can report under 13 users but I don't think anyone really does. I know of so many 'underage' users and they all still have their Facebooks.
Anyway, my 11 year old (5th grade) has been asking for awhile and I continue to say no. He can play games on my account if he wants but I see no reason that he needs his own. My 13 and 15 yo. daughters both have one and my rule is that I must be their friend. So far, we haven't had significant problems but I definitely keep my eyes peeled for anything suspicious.
I consider myself to be a fair parent regarding a lot of things -- by fair, I mean "just", not "fair" as in "fair to good". Anyway, my daughter has been asking me constantly if she can get a Facebook, MySpace, AIM, and/or Twitter.
Since I see absolutely no reason that a 12 year old would need any of the above, I said no. I also said no because of the "cyber bullying" issue as well as people "stealing" photos from people's pages. Of course, I have to hear that "all my friends have it", etc. I still said no and told her if I find out that she opened one behind my back, she will lose her computer.
I know a lot of kids have these but I just don't agree with it. Even if your profile is private, it can still cause problems. Your best friend today can be your worst enemy tomorrow and you don't know what they're going to do regarding stealing your pics, posting nasty things, etc. As far as AIM, anyone can talk to you on AIM and pretend to be someone else.
I was at her school a few weeks ago for a meeting and I happened to see her counselor. We got to talking about various things and I brought up the same issue. She said she's glad I'm one of the parents who don't allow this because everyday, she gets calls from parents or sees students who are having major problems because of these "social networking" sites.
So, how about you? Do any of you let your kids have any of these? I'm curious how other parents feel about this.
You're a sensible parent.
Why exactly would people allow their kids to get into such nonsensical sites? Are they afraid to say no?? would this generate another child left behind becoz he/she can't have a facebook page?
My theory is that these clueless parents are addicted to facebook themselves. Their heads will explode if they don't let the rest of the world know that they are taking a dump or if the bored housewives don't start their painful A, B, C's of what they are thankful for.
Why exactly would people allow their kids to get into such nonsensical sites? Are they afraid to say no?? would this generate another child left behind becoz he/she can't have a facebook page?
My theory is that these clueless parents are addicted to facebook themselves. Their heads will explode if they don't let the rest of the world know that they are taking a dump or if the bored housewives don't start their painful A, B, C's of what they are thankful for.
Hahahaha! I like my facebook, but you are not wrong!
So, how about you? Do any of you let your kids have any of these? I'm curious how other parents feel about this.
My daughter was on-line at 5. Yes 5 years old.
She created her first website at ~10 or 12.
She's graduated (with honors) in CS and is soon to receive her PhD in that field, from the top school in the country. All paid-for, BTW (thank-you NSF!).
So. Talk talk talk talk talk to your kiddos about the internets and technology. Teach them the new version of "stranger-danger": anyone can be ANYthing on the 'net. But don't deny them. They'll probably go behind your back anyway and then you will have lost all control.
She's graduated (with honors) in CS and is soon to receive her PhD in that field, from the top school in the country. All paid-for, BTW (thank-you NSF!).
So. Talk talk talk talk talk to your kiddos about the internets and technology. Teach them the new version of "stranger-danger": anyone can be ANYthing on the 'net. But don't deny them. They'll probably go behind your back anyway and then you will have lost all control.
Most kids are online at 5 or younger and I've known children who've made websites at 8, 10, 12 years old. Not really a major accomplishment since kids these days are born wired for this stuff.
You can teach kids all about internet "stranger-danger" but you don't know if they will put it into action when something happens. Just like, on all those news magazine shows, kids will go with a stranger who says he/she is looking for their lost dog or something else. The parents are watching on closed-circuit TV, crying, saying they've taught them all about not talking to or going with strangers, etc......
Also, "friends" can do more damage to you on the internet. Keep in mind, with young girls, you best friend today is your worst enemy tomorrow.... let's also not forget about the "frenemies". These people can/will steal your pics and post them elsewhere, steal things from your FB and post it elsewhere, cause problems, post nasty messages, etc.... CYBER-BULLYING is a huge problem. That's the main reason I don't want her having a FB or any of the others.
I check her computer regularly. The day she goes behind my back and opens any accounts is the day she loses her computer and won't have another until she's 18, has a job, and can buy one herself. At that point, she can do all her research for school projects at the library with books (gasp!) and either hand-write her reports (gasp-gasp!!) or --- GASP --- type it on a typewriter (and, yes, I have one in my storage unit!)
Also, "friends" can do more damage to you on the internet. Keep in mind, with young girls, you best friend today is your worst enemy tomorrow.... let's also not forget about the "frenemies". These people can/will steal your pics and post them elsewhere, steal things from your FB and post it elsewhere, cause problems, post nasty messages, etc.... CYBER-BULLYING is a huge problem. That's the main reason I don't want her having a FB or any of the others.
I check her computer regularly. The day she goes behind my back and opens any accounts is the day she loses her computer and won't have another until she's 18, has a job, and can buy one herself. At that point, she can do all her research for school projects at the library with books (gasp!) and either hand-write her reports (gasp-gasp!!) or --- GASP --- type it on a typewriter (and, yes, I have one in my storage unit!)
Yep. I couldn't agree more. My 5th grader is just learning about frenemies. There are some jealous, nasty girls out there. My daughter is a happy, involved, and active girl. I'll keep her off social networking sites for as long as I can. I truly believe that these kids need to be able to take a break from each other, and they can't if they feel like they have to keep up on social networking sites.
As far as a child going behind a parent's back, I don't subscribe to the "watch out they'll rebel" philosophy of parenting as an excuse for permissiveness. I think it's lazy.
My daughter asked about FB when she was 13, and I said I wanted her to wait. Like others have mentioned, it's all about the friends one day, enemies the next. She's had access to computers since she was two and helped me create my website for my business. I let her on my FB to play games and now that she's older, she's too busy to even want one.
My youngest has asked for a fB. She is 10. Nope. I know people who have kids her age and they let them have one, but she is my daughter and I do not feel fB is appropriate for her. She only goes online on the home computer which is visible from the main living room. She can only go online when an adult is home.
The cyber bulling is an influence in this choice, but for me, it is that she is very nieve and quite honestly, not everyone is honest with who they are. I do not want her to become a statistic. She is pixie cute and would easily be a target.
When she is 14 (fB's rule... or so I thought... the pp says 13... it may have changed since I looked at the TOS) she will be able to have an account. We will have her password. I have friends (young teenagers) and while they are mostly appropriate, some of their friends aren't. While a parent has say in their child's page, they have no control over their child's friend's pages.
My oldest (17) has had fb since he was 15. While I do not monitor him closely (anymore) I can still see what is going on on his page. I am friends with some of his friends (their request).
Each parent makes the choice to allow or not allow some of these social networking sites. The parent knows their child best and should be able to determine their child's readiness for the undercurrents of fB. Your child has to understand that not everything should be taken at face value before s/he is responsible for fB.
I completely agree. My soon to be 10 year old asked for a FB account. His friends have accounts. My husband and I said that we'd revisit the issue when he gets to junior high.
I'll be honest; if my child wants to do something that I feel has to be monitored like a hawk, he's not ready for it. When he's at the age that he can be trusted to be at least somewhat aware and responsible, I'd rather give him some level of privacy, but with the understanding that there may be unannounced checks on what he is doing.
At his current age, kids are still "stupid." I don't think that they understand the potential issues that come with having their life online, especially considering the number of "stupid" adults that I see posting everyday.
My son is 14 and he does not have one. I won't let him and he isn't interested anyway. I see so much crap on there just from the adults and I go through periods where I think about deleting it altogether. A friend of mine let her son have an account and she said it was all good for about 6 months, then the crap started. Kids saying stuff to each other, printing out the pages, getting the school involved...meh...no thanks.
Most kids are online at 5 or younger and I've known children who've made websites at 8, 10, 12 years old. Not really a major accomplishment since kids these days are born wired for this stuff.
You can teach kids all about internet "stranger-danger" but you don't know if they will put it into action when something happens. Just like, on all those news magazine shows, kids will go with a stranger who says he/she is looking for their lost dog or something else. The parents are watching on closed-circuit TV, crying, saying they've taught them all about not talking to or going with strangers, etc......
Also, "friends" can do more damage to you on the internet. Keep in mind, with young girls, you best friend today is your worst enemy tomorrow.... let's also not forget about the "frenemies". These people can/will steal your pics and post them elsewhere, steal things from your FB and post it elsewhere, cause problems, post nasty messages, etc.... CYBER-BULLYING is a huge problem. That's the main reason I don't want her having a FB or any of the others.
I check her computer regularly. The day she goes behind my back and opens any accounts is the day she loses her computer and won't have another until she's 18, has a job, and can buy one herself. At that point, she can do all her research for school projects at the library with books (gasp!) and either hand-write her reports (gasp-gasp!!) or --- GASP --- type it on a typewriter (and, yes, I have one in my storage unit!)
True that. It will go like, "Hey, I built my own little website one year earlier, when I was 9"
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or if the bored housewives don't start their painful A, B, C's of what they are thankful for.
