Under 13s on Facebook/Social networking sites

Narj · 24 May 2011 at 15:27

"Facebook should allow under 13s says Mark Zuckerberg"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/13521495

I honestly think that this is a terrible viewpoint. Young children should be encouraged to form friendships and social relationships face-to-face in my opinion. OK, I have no scientific evidence to back it up, but I'm sure that allowing young kids to spend hours and hours on facebook is not going to help them deal with real-life social interaction.

Some of the stuff that gets posted in statuses and on walls is hardly going to be suitable for their eyes, and surely it hardly counts as educational. :eek:

Keep them out playing on their bikes and outside in the fresh air FGS....

My sister lets my niece use her facebook account to chat to a few people and I really don't like it at all, but at least she's limited to an hour or two a week.

What do the parents on here think? (me not being one btw).

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cm1179 · 24 May 2011 at 15:28

surely it's pointless trying to ban it when they can just enter a fake birth date upon registration?

meghatronic · 24 May 2011 at 15:28

Well, they're already on it. In fact minus ages are already on Facebook (allbeit by their silly parents).

loltim · 24 May 2011 at 15:29

Typical view from a nerd like zuckerberg I guess.

My little bro is 12 and thinks FB is gay

As soon as he gets home from school he's out with his mates and doesn't come home till it gets dark.

Narj · 24 May 2011 at 15:31

cm1179 said:
surely it's pointless trying to ban it when they can just enter a fake birth date upon registration?

I think there's a difference between circumventing the ban or sending out a general message to kids saying it's OK for them to use it. If the people they'll be seeing updates for are of the social underclass, then it's going to be even more "educational" for all the wrong reasons.

LOL at parents creating a FB page for their foetus!

meghatronic · 24 May 2011 at 15:35

PianoBasher said:
LOL at parents creating a FB page for their foetus!

One of my 'friends' did it, then unfortunately lost the baby. Not exactly the most sensible thing to do.

Burnsy2023 · 24 May 2011 at 15:41

PianoBasher said:
I honestly think that this is a terrible viewpoint. Young children should be encouraged to form friendships and social relationships face-to-face in my opinion. OK, I have no scientific evidence to back it up, but I'm sure that allowing young kids to spend hours and hours on facebook is not going to help them deal with real-life social interaction.

Why does everyone always assume that online social networking is to replace face to face relationships rather than supplement them?

steve-h · 24 May 2011 at 15:47

loltim said:
Typical view from a nerd like zuckerberg I guess.

My little bro is 12 and thinks FB is gay As soon as he gets home from school he's out with his mates and doesn't come home till it gets dark.

Which is brilliant... for half the year.

Personally I don't think it's one or the other, you can go on facebook and go out with friends too. They're not mutually exclusive.

Burnsy2023 said:
Why does everyone always assume that online social networking is to replace face to face relationships rather than supplement them?

and this.

Rameses · 24 May 2011 at 15:47

meghatronic said:
Well, they're already on it. In fact minus ages are already on Facebook (allbeit by their silly parents).

Yep, people making accounts for their kids, as young as babies, its just....amazingly stupid!

Twentyone · 24 May 2011 at 15:52

It's not the socialising that's the problem. It's posting of pictures, private info and things like that. And a child will not have the same critical view of others like teens/adults do.

bsoltan · 24 May 2011 at 16:11

It should come with a parental lock ability, so parents can password protect privacy settings and the adding of friends.

Then there should be no problem with anyone using it.

badcompany · 24 May 2011 at 16:53

FB is crap why encourage kids to use it?

bsoltan · 24 May 2011 at 16:54

badcompany said:
FB is crap why encourage kids to use it?

Because the person encouraging it is the owner of FB. :confused:

Burnsy2023 · 24 May 2011 at 17:13

badcompany said:
FB is crap why encourage kids to use it?

FB is like any communication; of which, the English language is a good example. Some people will use it well at to it's full advantage. Other people won't, but that's not the fault of the communication medium.

eatcustard · 24 May 2011 at 17:19

Ban facebook for under 18s, just to be sure, then ban it for people with an IQ under 100.
better still just ban it.

Casdawer · 24 May 2011 at 17:23

Under 13's are already on it, my brother is an example of that.

As long as the parents monitor them and the kids are taught how to use it properly, i see now issue.

Morba · 24 May 2011 at 17:23

eatcustard said:
Ban facebook for under 18s, just to be sure, then ban it for people with an IQ under 100.
better still just ban it.

Why ban it? If you don't like it don't use it. Simple really.

knowlton · 24 May 2011 at 17:28

I find it so sad that U13s are using it. When I was that age, I was out and about, socialising, discovering that I could climb trees, playing football, playing computer games - not going on FB gossiping or taking photos of myself.

Burnsy2023 · 24 May 2011 at 17:35

knowlton said:
I find it so sad that U13s are using it. When I was that age, I was out and about, socialising, discovering that I could climb trees, playing football, playing computer games - not going on FB gossiping or taking photos of myself.

Facebook is socialising. A lol at computer games.

Megahurtz400 · 24 May 2011 at 17:35

If/when I have kids, they won't be allowed on social network sites until they are at least 13/14.

Also the same with phones, I know people who have kids who are 7-10 and have their own mobile phone?!

However, I do think Facebook is a great tool for socialising and organising things, I spend way too much time on it myself!

Kids just need to go outside, go build a Den or a rope swing in the woods, and adventure and explore