Facebook Age

thatlemming

cgk1 wrote: »

I'm surprised how naive some of the posters are on this thread - they don't think (like many teenagers) all the real action isn't happening on snapchat or other social media site that isn't full of parents?

100% this! Back in my day it was myspace and bebo but if my parents had ever tried to sign in to my account and go through all my stuff I would have been horrified and switched to something else! Luckily my parents understood giving privacy and wouldn't have ever been like that.

And yeah, its all about snapchat at the moment, and good luck trying to control that!

barbarawright

cgk1 wrote: »

I'm surprised how naive some of the posters are on this thread - they don't think (like many teenagers) all the real action isn't happening on snapchat or other social media site that isn't full of parents?

Exactly what I said in post 11. The only teenagers I notice on FB are posting very neutral things on their parents' account. It really isn't how kids communicate between themselves and I'm amazed anyone would think it is. Seriously - did your parents listen in your phonecalls or record what happened at parties when you were 14? Did they steam open your letters? Of course not. So why do you assume you have the right to read your children's *private* correspondence?

Nicki

My son is about to turn 14 and has had a Facebook page during the last year. He and his group of friends use it a lot, including to organise meeting up via PM and he would be left out of a lot of socialising if he didn't have one.

We have parental controls on all computers so dad is emailed each week with the sites he has visited so we would know which social media sites he visits. We've had the talk with him about safety and also reputation management and are confident he understands about this. I have his password and check in occasionally to see what's been posted by him or on his wall and what's going on by PM. Only skim read PMs to make sure there is no internet bullying going on and there hasn't ever been. If it's clear that all is friendly I move on and don't read his personal business.

It may not be ideal but it's the compromise we have come up with to let him start to develop some independence without throwing him to the wolves.