Would You Let Your 10 yo Have a Facebook Account? - Page 3

[annettemarie]

They're actually complying with the law, not just making a rule to cover their butts or make your life more difficult or because they want to arbitrarily keep out children under 13.
http://www.coppa.org/

Websites that are collecting information from children under the age of thirteen are required to comply with Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ) Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

[Gracefulmom]

Absolutely not.

And not because I don't trust my own children... they would post age appropriate things and they know not to click on any link without permission. But I have NO CONTROL over what other people make visible to me (or my children) on facebook, and some of what I've seen is just icky.

I've really been thinking a lot about this issue this week. I'm a pastor's wife, and have 'friended' some of the youth from our church... if they've requested it. It can be a way to keep in touch a bit... send a congrats after they've had a test or made the team or something. But one of them has been posting, well, compromising photos of her activities... and it makes me think it would be better to just have some separation there. The thought of my own kids seeing some of those pictures makes me feel ill.

[annettemarie]

Gracefulmom, I'm a pastor's wife as well (we need to get our tribe going again!) and have run into the same thing.

[Mana Mamma]

My concerns lie in the dependency of always needing to be connected. Quite frankly, my 10 year old is too young to use facebook in a way that enhance her relationships instead of making her addicted to the computer. I want her outside playing and riding her bike and having real face to face interactions!

My 14 year old has a facebook account and it is a good way to keep in touch with cousins, grandparents and friends that have moved away. But, I approve all of her friend requests, set her security settings and I am a friend of hers. I approve of all photos she uploads and she is limited to 20 minute use per weekday and 45 minute use on weekends.

[HappilyEvrAfter]

I would vote a very strong no....at least at my house. His daddy's house has their own rules and not something I can control, however.

All of my reasons have pretty much been stated already....mine is only 5.8 though, just FWIW.

It's not that I wouldn't trust my own son, it's just that I don't trust the rest of the world.

[mama1803]

11 year old girl beaten up by the internet

A sad and cautionary tale...

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/paren...rages-2087966/

[philomom]

Originally Posted by azmo

Yes. If you say no, they will create it elsewhere.

My bil and sil parent this way. It makes me crazy. I am the parent. You will respect my wishes or there will be consequences.

[SagMom]

Originally Posted by mama1803

A sad and cautionary tale...

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/paren...rages-2087966/

I think the caution is this:

Clearly [the parents] haven't been dealing with any part of their daughter's digital life, given the fact that her posting got as far as it did...

An 11 y/o making a threat like that should set off all kinds of alarms having nothing to do with youtube or fb. The internet doesn't cause violence--it just makes it public.

I don't think that the internet is a dangerous place for kids when their parents are involved, when they talk to their kids about internet safety, about what is okay to publish online and what is dicey (and why,) when parents have some idea of what's going on in their kids' lives, and are there to help them work through difficulties they're having...