Facebook Age

A_Flock_Of_Sheep

OK so people who are parents the minimum age limit for Facebook is 13. How many of you let your children have a profile at that age. My Nephew who lives with me is 15 this month and so far I have said no to Facebook. I don't really want him to waste time on there like his friends do and would rather him go out, practice his guitar and his drawing he loves. I think it is unsecure but it has become an argument or more a discussion point with us. I know his friends have pages on there. I am a bit of a laggard when it comes to things like that.

He doesn't see it that I am trying to keep him safe. How have you dealt with this situation?

Ich_2

Rather than stop him which will lead to strife, why not actually take the trouble to learn about FB, the security on it that is available so you can help you nephew use it with safety!

The media is full of horror stories I know, but the media is good at that! The reality of a properly operated account is far, far different!

fluffnutter

I think we all need to acknowledge that the digital age is our children's era. Keeping kids safe isn't simply about denying them access unfortunately. It's about allowing them access and teaching them how to be responsible, to be savvy, to be safe themselves. Try to see it as the difference between not letting someone out the house versus letting them out having taught them boundaries and what to do if things don't seem right.

There's loads and loads of stuff for parents out there about keeping kids safe on the internet. Google it. Making sure his profile is set up securely is key - if you're not confident doing this get someone to help him. A balance is important too - he should be going out and practising his guitar and drawing but equally social media IS part of life, not separate to it and time spent on the internet is not necessarily wasted. Bullying is a worry, of course it is, which is why boundaries are important. But it happens anyway, facebook, twitter et al didn't create bullying merely gave it a new platform.

I think you're going to have to let him take the plunge - but do your research first.

harrys_nan

You can set FB so only his friends can see his profile, I think at his age he should be able to go on, that way he doesn't get isolated from his friends. Set a certain amount of time that he can use the computer so he isn't on there all day.

mountainofdebt

A_Flock_Of_Sheep wrote: »

. I don't really want him to waste time on there like his friends do and would rather him go out, practice his guitar and his drawing he loves. I think it is unsecure but it has become an argument or more a discussion point with us. I know his friends have pages on there. I am a bit of a laggard when it comes to things like that.

He doesn't see it that I am trying to keep him safe. How have you dealt with this situation?

But does anyone tell you what to do with your free time???

Surely it would be better to let him have a facebook account after having a discussion about internet safety in general?

btw apparently teenagers are going off facebook in droves.....has something to do with us oldies being on there and asking to be 'their friends'

CruisingSaver

My daughter is 14 and she was allowed to access FB shortly after her 13th birthday.


The rules that we set for her were that:

• both me and DH were added as friends so we could see what was being posted etc.
• we were given the password to her account so that we could check who she'd added as friends
• She was only to add people that she actually knew as friends

We also sat her down and explained how FB worked and about privacy settings etc (most of which had already been taught in school but it doesn't do any harm to go over it again).


She knows that if she gets any weird or abusive messages then she tells us straight away so it can be nipped in the bud.


So far there haven't been any problems and fingers crossed it stays that way!


CS

A_Flock_Of_Sheep

CruisingSaver wrote: »

My daughter is 14 and she was allowed to access FB shortly after her 13th birthday.


The rules that we set for her were that:

• both me and DH were added as friends so we could see what was being posted etc.
• we were given the password to her account so that we could check who she'd added as friends
• She was only to add people that she actually knew as friends

We also sat her down and explained how FB worked and about privacy settings etc (most of which had already been taught in school but it doesn't do any harm to go over it again).


She knows that if she gets any weird or abusive messages then she tells us straight away so it can be nipped in the bud.


So far there haven't been any problems and fingers crossed it stays that way!


CS

I guess I need to get educated then. In my young day the girls pressed flowers and the boys delivered bread and meat on bikes.

Tiglath

My niece was allowed a Facebook account at about 13. I was so disturbed by the things she posted (jokes about BJs etc) that I discussed it with my sister, both the content and the fact that her profile was entirely public. Sister didn't see an issue with it and was 'liking' some of the jokes, and in the end I unfriended them both because it was too awful to observe

DigForVictory

My 14 year old is still campaigning, but as my Fb account is public on my iPad he can see the difference between what I post & what the detail is/was.
He's still pro Fb for scouts, but until he's prepared to be as open with his Fb as I am with mine...

A_Flock_Of_Sheep

I have a Facebook page languishing around somewhere. I had to create it to get some free seeds drone somewhere. Kings mill I think.

barbarawright

I wouldn't assume that teenagers use FB as their primary means of communication. I certainly wouldn't have done if my parents had monitored my posts

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/dec/27/facebook-dead-and-buried-to-teens-research-finds