 | 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. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Common Sense Media says
Social site connects friends, requires privacy.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that teens must be diligent about setting privacy controls on Facebook. Every time Facebook updates its features, users must check settings to confirm what information they're sharing and what they're keeping private. "Frictionless sharing" apps -- which allow users to share without having to take action -- bring additional privacy concerns. The Facebook Timeline shows every activity going back to a user's first post. It's like a permanent record, but the good news is that you can use it to delete posts you really don't want there anymore or change your privacy setting for the post to be viewable only by yourself.
Privacy shortcuts on the upper right hand corner of the page allow you to remove personal information like your gender or birthday, and you can also block search engines from showing a direct link to your timeline. To completely remove previous posts from searches, you'll need to review your "Activity Log" to see a list of all your Facebook activity and to review or edit the privacy setting for each item. After you've made privacy updates, you can double-check your changes by clicking on "View As," which will show you what your timeline looks like to a specific friend or to the public.
Facebook's most recent round of changes includes the "Graph Search," a super-charged search tool that mines Facebook's wealth of user data. From the search bar on the top left of the page, you can explore general info like "nearby restaurants" and "pages about news" or dig for more personal tidbits such as "music my friends like" and "people who like dogs and live in San Francisco." With such easy access to user data, it's important to recheck your privacy settings. For each section of your Timeline (About, Likes, Music, Groups, etc.), click the pencil icon in the top right of the section box to review privacy settings and modify who can see (and search for) the info.
What kids can learn
Kids 13 and older can learn how to communicate with each other online, keep in touch with friends, and express themselves. Teens can also learn basic information about nonprofit organizations and businesses since many of them have pages. Another plus: Facebook can help teens understand social networking -- a skill that will put them in good stead for the future. Watch out, though. Fair warning: Teens might get sucked into a vortex of mundane messages.
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoning
- Creativity
- Self-Direction
- Emotional Development
- Communicationconveying messages effectively, multiple forms of expression
- Collaborationrespecting other viewpoints
- Responsibility & Ethicsfollowing codes of conduct, making wise decisions, respect for others
- Tech Skillssocial media
- Health & Fitness
What's it about?
FACEBOOK is a popular social networking site. Users connect with people of their choosing, who they can then communicate with through the platform and who can then see various aspects of what they post. Users can also play games, watch videos, decorate their page, post and tag photos, share favorite product information, "like" their favorite celebrities and social causes, and more. There are options to set privacy settings, but they are difficult to find and tricky to set.
Is it any good?
Facebook offers registered users a fun way to keep in almost constant contact with friends, family, and acquaintances -- and every update adds another reason for heavy users to make Facebook an essential part of their lives. Privacy experts warn about the dangers of over-sharing and how it can compromise teens' safety and reputation, making strict privacy settings, restraint, and wise use of the "remove" button critical.
Timeline provides a complete list of photos you've posted, posts you've made, and other activity throughout your entire history on Facebook (or longer if you go back to fill in your pre-Facebook years with photos). And Graph Search makes navigating the mountain of user data on Facebook a breeze. Though Graph Search can boost Facebook's potential as a fun and valuable resource for networking and pursuing new interests, it can also make users with less savvy about their own privacy settings more vulnerable to accidental over-sharing. Having this much information readily available for viewing may appeal to some users, but others will want to use their privacy settings carefully to remove some content from view.
The site's "frictionless sharing" apps bring another set of privacy concerns. It's important to note that users aren't required to use these types of apps, but if they choose to, they're agreeing to give up some aspects of their privacy -- not just to their friends, subscribers, or the public, but also to advertisers.
Fortunately, Facebook continues to provide users with numerous options for privacy settings. For example, you can opt to approve photo and other tags before they're posted to your timeline and control who sees past posts if you adjust your privacy settings accordingly. You can also opt to hide types of activity -- such as people you friend -- and remove photos from your timeline. However, making your profile less public may require you to adjust several default settings.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about how to responsibly use social networking sites -- and how to react if someone (even a good friend) posts something inappropriate on your Facebook timeline. (Parents should get up to speed on Facebook so they have a sense of what kids are doing on it.)
Discuss privacy settings. Because Facebook makes frequent changes, it's a good idea to sit down with your teen for periodic profile reviews. Pay close attention to the privacy settings and what posts, photos, and personal information are visible and to whom.
What kids can learn
Kids 13 and older can learn how to communicate with each other online, keep in touch with friends, and express themselves. Teens can also learn basic information about nonprofit organizations and businesses since many of them have pages. Another plus: Facebook can help teens understand social networking -- a skill that will put them in good stead for the future. Watch out, though. Fair warning: Teens might get sucked into a vortex of mundane messages.
Subjects
- Language & Reading:
- Math:
- Science:
- Social Studies: global awareness
- Arts:
- Hobbies:
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoning:
- Creativity:
- Self-Direction:
- Emotional Development:
- Communication: conveying messages effectively, multiple forms of expression
- Collaboration: respecting other viewpoints
- Responsibility & Ethics: following codes of conduct, making wise decisions, respect for others
- Tech Skills: social media
- Health & Fitness:
How kids will learn
Posting and commenting gives teens a chance to practice written communication skills and a cascade of prompts teases out quirky forms of self-expression. If used wisely and with attention to privacy issues, teens can also strengthen friendships with close friends and casual acquaintances. The Timeline function makes past events and photos live on so that events -- good or bad -- reside there forever unless individually removed.
How parents can help
- Explore with your kids what comments are worth sharing and not sharing on Facebook.
- Discuss how friendships might play out online versus offline.
- Guide them toward pages for organizations and causes that interest them.
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
Kid, 12 years old
March 26, 2011
AGE
I have Facebook - as do a lot of my friends. I understand why they have the set age of 13, but if you're 12 or even 11 for that matter, Facebook is fine! You should know the basics of online safety, though - such as not accepting friend requests from people you do not know. If you know that much, I think you can be on Facebook. But just remember: It's much easier to be mean online than in person. Don't do or say anything online you wouldn't say in person!
What other families should know:
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Teen, 13 years old
February 10, 2011
AGE
not a great idea.
I think that if you let your kids have a facebook, thats great and stuff, but you also have to think about the privacy and how much time they're going to spend on the computer. my friend has a facebook, and its insane how long she spends on there. its like her life is on facebook. i HAD one i DELETED it because i was addicted, and it really wasted my time. i got BULLIED on there, and my account kept getting hacked (i didn't share my password with n e one!)
just recently, some kids at my school were bullying my other friend and making rude comments and pages that made her sad..
i don't think any child should go through that.
i really think that you should think twice before letting kids on there.
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Teen, 15 years old
April 1, 2011
AGE
In social networks, you are responsible.
Like each social networking websites, you are responsible. Facebook's legal policy says that you must to be at least 13 years old to use it, but I disagree. The FTC COPPA law says, that users under 13 must receive a parental consent and have a bit of guidance. But Facebook stripped this and it makes me very annoying. Internet communication must be availiable for all ages, but Facebook disagreed. Everybody under 13 is trying to violate its legal policy.
FTC COPPA law I support a bit. Facebook is not a dating website, not a porn website etc, but a bit suggestive content can appear. I know some underage children on Facebook, and they are very kind, yoi to kawaii desu ne....(sorry for Japanese, in english it will be "kind and cute"). They are not violators, not predators, nor bandits nor gangsters nor terrorists....
I better rate it high PG, or 9-10-11+.
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Teen, 14 years old
March 16, 2010
AGE
An iffy site, but can be useful
Facebook is an iffy site. It can be very useful, like meeting old friends and family to reconnect with them. On the other hand, it can be dangerous. Cyber bullying on social networking sites is very common, and it happens on Facebook at times. There can also be hackers. If you let your child on Facebook, be sure to tell them to only add people that they KNOW are their friends; they shouldn't really add someone they don't know. If your child is ever cyber bullied, you can block people and delete them from your child's Facebook page, which is another useful and helpful tool on Facebook.
Like I said in the beginning, it can be helpful and useful. You just need to be careful about who your friends and what people are posting on their walls.
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Kid, 10 years old
March 17, 2010
AGE
Good for mature kids, teens and adults
Well facebook can be good and bad because you can put your settings so no one can see your profile and only your friends can see your profile, info, pics etc etc. I put this 10+ because just like I said they can set there privacy options to only friends and they will be fine. The iffy thing is that some people might swear, but it happens rarely. Kids defenetly should ask there parents before going on Facebook because each person has a different opinion about facebook and other social networking sites.
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Kid, 11 years old
October 31, 2009
AGE
You need to read this as it involves what you need to know
Safety is and not a problem. You can leash out information but as long as you keep only friends you know outside of the computer and block everyone else, it's fine. It does have an age limit of I think 14 but many people fake their age. Do not be fooled by celebritys, they are normal people pretending to be Miley Cyrus and Nick Jonas. They are posers. It is rarely you will find the real person. I say its safe for 11 and over but their not even meant to have an account so I would leave it until they are old enough to have an account. Once they are older enough to have one, just leave another couple of years until you are sure the responsible enough to have an account. Keep double checking their friends and information though as you never know who they could add. Keep them under your thumbs!
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Teen, 13 years old
April 10, 2010
AGE
Good for finding old frinds bad for finding newfriends
I've had my facebook account since I was 11 and never had any privacy problems as long as I only add people I know on my friend list
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Kid, 10 years old
August 7, 2010
AGE
Privacy is a big issue!
You really need to be careful with websites like this, because privacy is a big issue! Cause' whatever you post on there you can take off! Like my friend got her facebook when she was 5! And it seemed like her parents did not really know about it That is why it is still really dangerous! Because what if sometihng happend...???
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Kid, 12 years old
June 3, 2011
AGE
Epic site for staying in touch with your friends is risky!
I thought I was never going to get a Facebook. At first, I thought having a Facebook is a waste of time, but now that I made an account, I loved it! You get to chat with friends and stuff! But beware, Facebook has a lot of bad stuff. Users can chat about sexual, violent or language filled topics. Some drinking and drugs might also appear in comments. But you usually just chat with friends. Unless you make friends with strangers. That would be wrong. There might also be pictures or videos of women in bikinis. Some might even be reveiling, showing their breasts. So if you are mature enough to not look for that sort of stuff, then you can have a facebook. There are games on the facebook website. Um, there are some multiplayer game on facebook. Don't play them unless you want to get stalked. They can see your profile name and other stuff if they search you later. So, yeah.
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Parent of 8 year old
March 11, 2011
AGE
only for kids 13+
I agree with the reviews. My step-son's mother opened an account for him to play Farmville. We did not agree with him having an account since he is only 8 years old. She assured us she had the account private. Sure enough after a week or so one of her friends forgot they had an 8 yr old as a friend and were using inappropriate language which was displayed on his wall. There have been other incidents that showed her lack of monitoring the account so we have closed the account.
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| Genre: | Social Networking |
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