Should Kids Be Using Facebook?

Kids can put a lot of pressure on parents to let them use Facebook. However there are several important things that parents should know before making a decision either way.

Did you know?

  • Facebook has a minimum required age to create an account, and for good reason – children can be exposed to inappropriate content.
    For example: Kids may have older Facebook friends or family (perhaps friends of their friends) that post content to their timeline that isn’t appropriate for them to see.
  • Kids themselves may be unknowingly posting inappropriate content or giving away too much of their families private information.
  • When a Facebook account is created for an underage child using a fake date of birth, this gives Facebook a false impression of the child’s real age. This can result in young children being incorrectly targeted by Facebook advertisers and exposed to inappropriate products and services.
  • Kids could also lose all of their Facebook data at any time. Facebook has a whistleblower policy that allows anyone to nominate an account that they think is being used by someone under the required age. If that happens, the account will be shut down and become inaccessible.

 

So do you still think kids should be using Facebook?

Leave a Reply