The Social Network Bug

If there’s a possibility that your child may be tweeting or updating their Facebook status at this very second, then this article might be up your alley.

Social networking is a big part of our daily lives in this day and age, and kids want in on the act, too.

Besides offering a number of status updates and applications, Facebook has been used a great deal for its games such as CafeWorld and Farmville.

This week, parenting council member Shane Rice chips in on the question:

“How young is too young for kids to be on Facebook? (Is it OK for them to have a profile, is it OK for them to play games, etc.)”

Shane Rice
As a parent of two girls, one 8 year old and a 2 year old, I have been through many phases of parenting. Both my girls are very different in character, and I learn something new every day.

Children these days love the Internet. They love the idea that the world is at their finger tips, at least that’s what my 8 year old tells me. But there is a fine line between an 8 year old going to the Hanna Montana website and setting up a profile on Facebook.

There are age restrictions for such sites, but no real way of guaranteeing that those setting up profiles are actually of age. In fact, there is a great deal of kids pretending to be older than they really are in order to have a social page.

 Facebook states in their disclaimer that anyone setting up a profile must be at least 13 years of age. I’m sorry, but in my opinion this is still way too young.

I know kids want to grow up fast, but there are too many risks involved with these sites. Even changing the privacy options does not guarantee security and watching your child’s every move is not realistic. Unfortunately, as parents, we have to give our children a little bit of trust that they won’t try to be sneaky and mischievous.

Although I say 13 is still way too young, I will say that approaching the idea when they are 16-17 might be a little more practical. They are a little more mature, and by this age should know what type of people to carefully watch.

Pedophiles swarm sites like Facebook because of its easy access, not their FarmVille and Café World. All in all, I think it’s up to the parents whether they should allow their children to join Facebook or Twitter.

It is really no different than when a child is told “Don’t talk to strangers.”