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Hot Topic (11/8) Social networks and kids: How young is too young?
posted to Current Events & Hot Topics
in Current Events & Hot Topics
on Nov. 8, 2009 at 12:00 AM
- 15 Replies
- 139 Total Views
- Facebook, MySpace require users to be 13, but the sites can't really enforce it
- Study found 38 percent of kids ages 12 to 14 have online profiles
- One Georgia parent allows kids to use networking sites, but with rules, supervision
- Expert: Kids' social networking use is "pretty harmless"
A growing number of children are flouting minimum-age requirements on social-networking sites such as Facebook.
(CNN) -- Status updates, photo tagging and FarmVille aren't just for adults or even teenagers anymore.
Researchers say a growing number of children are flouting age requirements on sites such as Facebook and MySpace, or using social-networking sites designed just for them.
Facebook and MySpace require users to be at least 13. But they have no practical way to verify ages, and many young users pretend to be older when signing up.
Some scientists worry that pre-adolescent use of the sites, which some therapists have linked to Internet addiction among adults, could be damaging to children's relationships and brains.
But many other experts say there's not any solid research to back that up and that most children seem to use social-media sites in moderation, and in positive ways.
"For the most part, although there's so much press about all the bad things they're doing, much of what they do on these sites is stuff they would be doing anyway," said Kaveri Subrahmanyam, a professor of psychology at California State University-Los Angeles.
In two surveys reported this year by Pew Internet Research -- of 700 and 935 teens, respectively -- 38 percent of respondents ages 12 to 14 said they had an online profile of some sort.
Sixty-one percent of those in the study, ages 12 to 17, said they use social-networking sites to send messages to friends, and 42 percent said they do so every day.
The data in the study was from 2006, so it's not a stretch to assume those numbers are higher this year. Research on younger children is limited, but anecdotal evidence shows that many of them are also logging on. Read More
What are your thoughts? How young is too young? What age will/did you let your kids have their own page?
Replies:
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- by on Nov. 8, 2009 at 6:15 PM
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I had five kids in my back yard playing football and ask them if they were on these sites...3 of them said yes, a 7 year old, a 8 year old and a 10 year old.....I ask them how they set it up since they were so young they said they lied about their age and put up pics of other kids who are older..
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- by on Nov. 8, 2009 at 6:37 PM
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My son will be allowed to have facebook or myspace when he's 13 or as soon as he starts middle school.
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- by on Nov. 9, 2009 at 12:04 AM
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Honestly I think it depends on the maturity of the kid and where you live...
For my family... we are military (generations and generations) so we are spread out all over the country. When my kids are that age (I'd say 13) they can have a myspace because it is a great way to keep in touch with long distance family and friends. I've had a facebook since I was 17 (I was at a college when it was created)... and a myspace page since I was 19. I use them both frequently and it is mostly to update pictures for long distance relatives and friends. But even now my pages are private. I have to accept you before you can see any of my information or pictures...
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- by on Nov. 9, 2009 at 12:12 AM
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I thought they were supposed to be 14 before they were allowed to have a profile? Hm, oh well.
My kids are all teens - 13 and older. They're allowed to have accounts, but they have to set them to private, and to where only people who know their last name can send them a friend request. And there are things they're not allowed to mention on thier profiles - such as their last name, age, city or state, phone number, school, extra-curricular schedule, or anything that could lead someone to them if thier account was ever hacked. Plus, I have all their passwords, and I do check into their accounts from time to time to make sure nothing questionable is going on.
I think kids could be unsafe online if they disclose personal info, but there are a lot of ways to keep them safe if theyr'e going to have accounts of their own. Before they got accounts, their dad and I had a real serious talk with them about internet safety, gave them the rules, and got thier passwords.
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- by on Nov. 9, 2009 at 12:41 AM
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Quoting HomeMakin94:
I thought they were supposed to be 14 before they were allowed to have a profile? Hm, oh well.
My kids are all teens - 13 and older. They're allowed to have accounts, but they have to set them to private, and to where only people who know their last name can send them a friend request. And there are things they're not allowed to mention on thier profiles - such as their last name, age, city or state, phone number, school, extra-curricular schedule, or anything that could lead someone to them if thier account was ever hacked. Plus, I have all their passwords, and I do check into their accounts from time to time to make sure nothing questionable is going on.
I think kids could be unsafe online if they disclose personal info, but there are a lot of ways to keep them safe if theyr'e going to have accounts of their own. Before they got accounts, their dad and I had a real serious talk with them about internet safety, gave them the rules, and got thier passwords.
Yes they are supposed to be a certain age but how is that checked? Kids are smart and if left unattened will find ways to do what ever they wish..
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