Is Facebook Safe For Kids?
We all know Facebook, whether we have an account or not, as it is the biggest social network in the world. Facebook requires a minimum age to create a profile, and this is aimed at preventing children under 13 from using the site. Thinking about this minimum age, the following question arises: is Facebook safe for children?
It is a fact that age restrictions when using Facebook are generally not respected. Anyone of any age can create an account. Just enter a fake date of birth at the time of creation.
The result is that millions of children under 13 use Facebook every day. By the way, it is worth remembering that Facebook has an option through which it is possible to report that a child under 13 is using the social network.
Why does Facebook prohibit children under 13 from using the site?
The reason for the age minimum imposed by Facebook is, above all, due to the laws. These laws may vary from country to country and prevent children from accessing Internet services in order to ensure their privacy.
If it were for its creator, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook would be used even by younger children. It should be remembered that in 2011 Zuckerberg himself said that he believed the age limit should be lowered so that younger children could use it for educational purposes. So we ask the question again:
Is Facebook safe for kids?
This created a lot of controversy. There are many supporters of the social network who believe that, because of its usefulness, it is okay for children under 13 to use a social network like Facebook. It could have an educational use.
On the other hand, critics are totally against it, alleging the multiple dangers children can face.
The most important thing is to understand the real risks that Facebook can pose and, based on that, decide if we want children to use it. All this without ignoring the restrictions that Facebook itself has for children under 13 years old not to use the site.
Safe Facebook for children over and under 13
- If our children are under 13, the answer is very simple: they shouldn’t have a Facebook account. No way.
- For those over 13, risks are present and some can be very subtle. Online bullying is the most obvious, even though it usually affects a minority of children.
Clear Facebook Risks
Since we can’t access our child’s account without their password, and Facebook won’t provide it because of data protection laws, you may not know what they’re posting, who their friends are, or what options privacy settings have been configured.
Knowing who your friends are is very important as many abusers pretend to be children. Therefore, it is impossible to be sure that the child is only communicating with other children he really knows.
As a more subtle risk, we have the proven fact that Facebook often makes people create an ideal image of themselves and try to maintain it. This causes great social competition and can make children feel bad, incompetent, not socially accepted, etc.
Also, as with any website, it can be difficult or impossible to delete some things, be it an image or anything else. The digital footprint is created and fixing it months or years later can be a real problem.
If children decide to create a Facebook account
Without a doubt, we have the other side of the coin. If we realize that our children (aged 13+) have decided to create a Facebook account, we can lay down ground rules for them and explain the dangers they may face.
Obviously, there will be risks. But it is a matter of considering that in life there are always risks and it is better to learn to face them than to try to avoid them forever. But we must remember that, like it or not, the burden of deciding whether our children should use Facebook will fall on us.
