The minimum age required for opening a Facebook account is age thirteen, but according to Consumer Reports earlier this year, “about 7.5 million users in the U.S. are under the age of thirteen, and about 5 million are under the age of ten”. Underage users makes up an alarming majority (63%) of the 20 million American minors (17 or under) actively using Facebook, says Consumer Reports.
So what does Facebook have to say about this?
While it has a fairly stringent policy on reporting and removing underage profiles on the site, there is very little they can actually do about preventing kids from opening an account with a fake birth date or parents from doing it for them…
Results from the Consumer Reports study indicated that “a majority of parents of kids ten and under who are on Facebook seemed largely unconcerned by their children’s use of the site.” Perhaps these parents don’t realize the age thirteen isn’t just some arbitrary Facebook requirement. It’s the law.
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) prohibits websites from collecting, using, or disclosing any information from users under thirteen without verifiable parental consent. COPPA does not ban online activities outright. However, it does require more effort on the part of Facebook and parents to be aware and grant permission for each piece of information to be collected and shared about their child.
Founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has gone on record to say that he thinks children under thirteen ought to be allowed on Facebook. A huge proponent of education reform, Zuckerberg sees Facebook as having the potential to be a “powerful teaching tool” and a resource for students.
Be that as it may, kids are clearly not waiting for an “okay” from Facebook or anyone to be online. They already are, so it’s up to the parents to be proactive and strike a balance between between educating children on the benefits and the dangers of being online.
To help parents and kids better navigate the Facebook landscape, Locations Labs has developed Safely Social Monitor, the newest addition to its suite of “Familyware” products which includes Safely Locate and Safely Drive.
Safely Social Monitor tracks and reports on your child’s Facebook account. It sends you a summary profile of their activities — who are their friends, what are their posting, etc. Then, you will continue to receive email alerts when questionable items appears on their profile, in real time.
This service is absolutely *free* to use. Sign-up today!
To learn more about Location Labs, please “like” Safely Facebook Page. Get articles and updates on how to keep your family safe online, and a copy of the “Safely Spotlight”, a free digital parenting guide with practical tips and advice.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Location Labs, creator of Safely Social Monitor. The views expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect those of Location Labs.
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Thank you so much for posting this!! It’s one of the things I am most dreading about my kids entering the tween years. They have already asked to join Facebook and I was relieved to be able to tell them the law says they are too young, but that will only get me through another 18 months. Yikes!
Life is so much more complex these days. Sigh. For now, I am enjoying the fact that my kids still love to go outside and play.
It’s too young and I can tell you that at least 10 of my youth ministry students who are 11-12 are on FB and have had them for at least a year– it’s not a place for kids this age to be… they see way to much :/