Found this article from the New York Times (http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/why-parents-lie-to-let-kids-join-facebook/)
I like the quote 'The site’s whole purpose is to erode the concept of privacy' got me thinking just how safe is Facebook, since looking into e-safety its not looking good....although, it is sad to say, I'm to much of a Facebook 'addict' to delete my account.
But enough of 'my' e-safety, what about these 7.5 million users under age 13 and more than 5 million of those users are under 10?? Is it acceptable to have these accounts? Privacy Protection Laws just don't work on this issue, of course your going to (quick do the math, if I'm 18 what year am i born in......) lie and who's going to check? Are they can ask proof of age online?? Maybe this is what we should be doing, personalising internet usage, surely there must be a way to do this, maybe one day we'll have internet access ID and certain sites open up to you as you get older? Though I'm sure someone will figure out a way to get past that too!
Of course Facebook imposes a 'strict' age limit, which you can just but your DOB at 1906 anyway so the question is this, should parents be helping their children make a Facebook account?? Accourding to this study in the NY Times 76% of the survey assisted their 12 year olds in creating the account? But why, is it because they don't care about the risks, or are they helping to try and get some sort of control over their children's SNS account? Or other reasons we don't necessarily think about....
Having personal experience over this, I was working as an Au Pair and the boy always wanted to play the games that I played on my Facebook account...but wait...your using all my energy and your digging in the wrong place!! (this is the amazing game that is Treasure Island) so to combat this problem I created an account for him so he could play games, I was his only friend (useful as I could use his account to send me virtual items for my gaming needs =D) there was no picture, information and his account wasn't publicly listed and I had his log in details so he could only go on Facebook when I allowed (useful in rewards and consequences =D) Was I right??? I'm not sure...eeekkk...I feel like an awful person since doing this blog about allowing him to play with Facebook and he had absolute zero contact with anyone. Are we scaremongering ourselves? have we got to a point of too much e-safety that we walk arounf paranoid and judging anyone and everyone who dares to let their children do ANYTHING on the internet?
Natasha i had held out on creating a FB account for years for much the same privacy/security reasons. i think the way you handled that was a great compromise. the only way i think it could go south is if the child remembered how to create an account and make a account for himself w/o ur consent.
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