Facebook

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Top-notch social networking on the go; some issues for kids.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that teens must be diligent about setting their privacy controls on Facebook. They can set and tweak these settings on the website, or, if they are using an iPhone, on the mobile app. But please note that the Android version of the mobile app does not have the same level of privacy as the iPhone (or desktop) version. Kids should be extra careful about what they post while on the go in general, but especially on an Android phone because they can't quickly retract embarrassing comments from within the app. On the upside, there are no ads.

  • The mobile version of the most popular social networking site in the world is extremely easy to use. Switch between tools simply by tapping a small grid in the upper left of the screen.
  • Facebook pages can contain disturbing links and images.
  • As with the full app, user-submitted content sometimes contains sexual topics, and kids are free to search for sex-related Facebook pages.
  • Depending on their circle of friends and the Facebook pages they choose to explore, kids might be subject to coarse language.
  • Not applicable.
  • A user's Facebook friends and pages found through searches might subject the user to posts about drugs, alcohol, and smoking.
  • Kids who have updated their iPhone Facebook app can adjust their privacy settings from within the mobile version, just like they can when they are at a computer. They can also delete their own posts using their iPhone. So, privacy issues on the Facebook iPhone app are the same as the ones you'd find on the Facebook website. However, the Android app does not offer the same acces to privacy settings, and also lacks a way to delete your own posts after making them, so kids will need to stop and think extra hard before posting because they won't be able to quickly retract embarrassing comments or photos until they get to a browser with a full version of Facebook. (Stopping and thinking before posting is, of course, always a good idea.) Depending on how you set your privacy settings on Facebook and what you say in your posts, your Facebook page can create personal safety issues if you let strangers know where you are.

Is it any good?

 

No need to pinch or squint to see some of Facebook's best features with this free mobile version. Almost everything's reformatted and perfectly sized for reading. Jump between the default "Live Feed" view of friends' posts and a screen of neatly laid-out icons you can tap to see your profile, inbox, requests, and other crucial social networking tools.


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This review was written by Carla Thornton
Kid, 12 years old
May 22, 2010
 
ANYONE CAN GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its free for any kid to get and make their own account if they wanted to and their parents said they cant. Thats why its bad!!!!!

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Teen, 18 years old
June 24, 2010
 
Great App, Useful
Common Sense Media isn't entirely trustworthy- you CAN delete posts you make and that's not even a big deal to start with. I personally think the reviewers on this site blow things way out of proportion far too often.

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 15 years old
October 5, 2011
 
Boring
I'm not exactly sure whether I like this or not, but I got bored really quickly....

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Teen, 14 years old
June 4, 2010
 
Awesome
The "Great User Content" depends solely on your friends. This app is good for anyone with a Facebook account.

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Kid, 13 years old
August 13, 2010
 
This is the stupidest thing I have ever herd and it is a bullying helper to all kids! I hate it i would never reccomend this.

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Parent of 15 year old
September 18, 2010
 

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Teen, 15 years old
September 8, 2010
 
e.g. perfect for older tweens, teens, and adults
i love facebook and this one of the best apps on earth

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Parent
August 13, 2011
 
decent app and social networking site
I'm not just making this review for the app, I'm making it for the site itself. Anybody can sign up, and you can aleays lie about your age online, so it's not really that safe. I allow my 10 year old to have one and I let my 12 year old to have one when she was 10. I closely moniter them though. I think that this is an OK website if you make sure you have all blocks on and ensure your kids know what is put out there can never be taken back.

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Teen, 15 years old
October 22, 2010
 
Good but sort of glitchy
It's good for when you're on-the-go (or at home). But, like Facebook on the CP, it could have innapropriate stuff, depending on who you're friends with. But teens can stay safe if they're only friends with their friends/family IRL. But if your friend is posting innapropriate things, tell your parents and hide/delete them from your friend list (I suggest you hide them first, because if this is the first time they did something innapropriate, then I think you should give them a chance). So basically, the app's like Facebook, like I mentioned earlier. But there are glitches; it's not rare for the app to go slow, and sometimes it gets stuck, but it's still a nice app.

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Kid, 13 years old
September 30, 2010
 
gud for tweens and up
yeah it depends on ur kind of frends

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This review was written by Carla Thornton
Category:Social Networking
Platforms:iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
Price:Free
Publisher:Facebook Inc.
Version:3.3.2
Release date:November 14, 2010

This review was written by Carla Thornton

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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