babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
There are generally two schools of thought when it come to social networking and kids. Facebook is either a great way for kids to interact with each other and develop emotional bonds with larger numbers of people or it’s a potentially dangerous time suck that prevent kids from having meaningful relationships with people in the real world. Either way, one thing is certain: The pros and cons of social networking shouldn’t be an issue for kids under 13 because they aren’t even supposed to be there.
But they are, aren’t they? Caroline Knorr at Common Sense Media writes about how many parents have a hard time saying no to their underage kids who want to be a part of the social networking community. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz or YouTube, little kids are logging on with their parent’s permission. Why is this?
For many parents, it comes down to peer pressure. If all her friends are on Facebook, it’s hard to tell your kid that she’s too young. And besides, most parents who do allow their kids to set up accounts on social networking sites are pretty good at keeping tabs on their online behavior. They “friend” their kids and make sure they know how to behave responsibly online. They set time limits and lay down rules.
But what about those rules? In order for a kid under 13 to set up an account on most social networking sites, she has to lie about her age. And lying is against the rules, right? So, how do parents reconcile this contradiction?
I don’t know because I won’t do it. I am not particularly afraid of what my 9-year-old might get up to should she have a Facebook account. She’s a good kid who is mature enough to set limits for herself and steer clear of things she knows are inappropriate. But despite the fact that she would love to be on Facebook, I am holding firm because by allowing her to break the age limit rule, I would be consenting to behavior that she and I both know is wrong. For me, that’s a slipperly slope that is easily enough avoided with the word “no.”
What about you? How do you feel about underage kids joining grown up social networking sites?
Image: Franco Bouly/Flickr
More from this author:
Girl Scouts Body Image Campaign: Helping or Hurting the Cause?
Parenting Products You Probably Don’t Need
Kidz Bop: Do You Censor Your Kid’s Music
Breaking the Binky Habit: When and Why
Sign Language for Babies More Popular Than Ever
Nap Nanny Recalled After Baby’s Death
Twilight Teeth: Freaky or Fab?
Forever 21 Marketing Maternity Wear to Teens?
Christmas in July: Are You Ready?
Is Ghetto Parenting Offensive?
It’s no secret that married people use the Internet to cheat. Lots of them. There are whole websites dedicated to cheating, and they do pretty well for themselves. Facebook is cited in 20% of divorce cases.
Now, some jilted spouses are alleging that Facebook is especially fertile ground for starting an online affair. Experts are backing them up.
What makes the social networking giant more dangerous to marriages than text messages, email or other online communication? Unlike those other tools, Facebook brings you face to virtual face with your old flames.
The Millennial Generation, a term generally applied to people born between 1980 and 2000, are plugged in to world like no other generation before. Having grown up with the Internet, they take for granted the ability to instantly connect with anyone anywhere in the world. They are a well-informed and socially conscious group.
But somewhere along the way to this state of hyper-connectivity, something seems to have been lost: The ability to feel compassion for others. Continue reading »
An CNN article about a new social networking site for kids, Togetherville, starts like this:
One of the challenges for the newest generation is how to gain fluency in online networking without being able to draw on large, diverse social networks of their own.
Really? I though the challenges of the newest generation included things like war, national debt, and global warming. Fluency in online networking? Not so worried about that.
But someone is, and so Togetherville was born. I’ll give them this — it sounds so much age-appropriate than letting kids have their own Facebook accounts.
Experts, make up your mind already! I’m getting confused.
Didn’t we just read a couple of weeks ago in “The New York Times” that social networking was bad for kids? Experts claimed that all that time online was preventing our children from forming meaningful relationships.
Now “The Los Angeles Times” has published a story which quotes an expert who says that children who spend lots of time on social media sites are “the healthiest psychologically.” Huh? Continue reading »
The Microsoft Kin is a cute little social networking device that plays into the average teen’s desire to be constantly connected to everyone he or she has ever met – or hasn’t met. Billed as a Gen-Y social networking tool, the Kin has a slide-out keyboard, a camera and easy access to all the texting, tweeting and Facebooking a teen could ever want. It’s cute, it’s fun and, according to the Website, lets users share life as they are living it.
Microsoft is clearly attempting to be edgy and appeal to teens in their advertisements for the Kin. Their latest ad, however, is drawing criticism for encouraging young people to engage in risky behavior. Continue reading »
One of the best things about Facebook and other social networking sites is coming across people you forgot you even knew. High school and college buddies who may have slipped out of your life are suddenly there again. But while we may enjoy reconnecting with long lost friends on Facebook, many of us use social networking sites to keep up with people we see on a regular basis. People close very to us. People like our kids. Continue reading »
Lori Garcia 
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
6