Should a 13 year old have a Facebook account?

thriftlady_2

All his friends have them apparently. I know absolutely nothing about Facebook beyond the fact that it is a social networking site.

I'd be grateful for any opinions or experiences regarding kids and Facebook.

Sorry, I know it isn't to do with moneysaving but a Google search didn't really help.

omen666

If you do decide to I would set their privacy setting so onlly their friends cn view their profiles, just to minimise any risks which there are out there.

jamespir

they have to be 18 to have facebook so no

teeni

My grand children aged 10, 11 have their own accounts my daughter says that they have parental controls in place so only certain people can see their accounts.
it is nice to keep in touch however the kids can see everything on their "friends" accounts and my daughter has banned her from being frineds with her uncles(my teenage sons) because of the content of their sites.

As always with the internet it is about educating themon how to use it safely i suppose.

delain

jamespir wrote: »

they have to be 18 to have facebook so no

How uninformed can one person be?

teeni

jamespir wrote: »

they have to be 18 to have facebook so no

no they dont

barjam_2

my kids have facebook youngest is 12 she knows only to add friends if she knows them, not add them just beacuse they'l have loads of friends on facebook and as said previously go into privacy settings to makes sure its only friends who can see or post on the `wall`

notakid

I don't think its a problem as long as the privacy settings are set and you tell your child you are going to monitor them.

I told my daughter that I was going to check up on what she was saying/doing on facebook, from time to time, without warning, she pulled a face at first saying she was allowed her private time I reminded her that facebook is a public facility and she shouldn't be posting any thing on there which she wouldn't want her mother to read! :cool:

JabT_2

My son has an account, as do most of his friends, he's 11. The account's set up for friends only and with my email address so I see all friends request etc. before he adds anybody.

thriftlady_2

jamespir wrote: »

they have to be 18 to have facebook so no

Thanks, but that is clearly not the case.

1more?

i think you may have to be 18 but my 13y dd has one, i am her friend so can keep an eye on anybody shes friends with and see anything written on her profile,
i think if you stop them they may do it behind your back anyway and as long as my dd private and only has her friends from school on there whats the problem????