Why Your Kids Shouldn't Be on Facebook
It’s important that children are very familiar with eSafety rules before they create a Facebook account.
While 13 is the minimum age required to set up a Facebook account, many children under this age set up accounts on Facebook and other social networks by entering in false date of birth information.
Social media has been proven to play an important role in teaching children life skills for the digital age. Parents can help their pre-teens acquire critical eSafety skills by being actively involved with their internet usage on social networking sites that are exclusively for younger children, such as Kidz World, Your Sphere, Togetherville and ScuttlePad.
But for pre-teens, Facebook simply isn’t appropriate.
If you’re on the fence about helping your pre-teen set up a Facebook account, here are some compelling reasons why pre-teens should not be on Facebook.
Helping your pre-teen create a Facebook account is helping them lie about their age.
Not only are you teaching your child that you think it's okay to tell a lie, you will be setting a risky precedent about which rules are “ok” to break.
The minimum age requirement is in place because Facebook wants to keep kids safe.
“We take safety very, very seriously and think that educating parents about protecting their kids online is as important about talking to kids about not opening the door to strangers or looking both ways before crossing the street,” said Maureen O’Hara, Facebook-Corporate Communications.
If you teach your child that it is okay to lie about their date of birth to access Facebook, then they could well believe that it’s okay to lie about their age to access other websites that are not appropriate for children. Teaching your child about how to be safe online involves teaching children to respect age-restrictions on websites.
Facebook exposes kids to adult content.
The minimum age of 13 was intentionally set as a way to safeguard pre-teens from adult content. The majority of Facebook's users are older teens and adults who may post suggestive photos or use inappropriate language for your under-13 child to see.
Kids-focused social networking sites are a safe way for children to be on a social network without the risk of them seeing inappropriate content.
Protect your kids from cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying can have very destructive outcomes for kids of any age, but is particularly devastating for children in the 6-12 age range. Children at this age take words very literally and receive criticism more personally. Combined with the permanence of Facebook content, pre-teens may be greatly impacted by taking harsh words very personally as well as dealing with content, like images, that live forever online.
Again, educating children about cyberbullying and showing them healthy ways to respond if they or someone they know are being bullied online will offer a strong foundation for when they do get on Facebook and other social networking sites.
Facebook for pre-teens can contribute to childhood obesity.
Young kids need to stay active with unstructured play, outdoor time, and plenty of face-to-face interactions with other kids. Spending time on Facebook and other online activities detracts from this active place and may open the door to a more sedentary lifestyle, contributing to childhood obesity.
Additionally, researchers at Columbia University recently discovered that using Facebook may be tied to obesity, for children and adults, due to the negative eating habits that could result from frequent visitation of social networking sites.
So until children reach the age of 13, it’s best for them to stay off Facebook and learn how to be safe and make smart choices online in other ways.
Consider taking our online e-safety training course to help you assist your children even more with making safer choices in a digital environment.
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