Children & Social networking sites
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
Forum Description: For mums, dads, parents-to-be, grandparents, friends -- you name it! And you name the topic you want to chat about!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=41052
Printed Date: 27 August 2025 at 9:33am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Children & Social networking sites
Posted By: lisa85
Subject: Children & Social networking sites
Date Posted: 24 November 2011 at 5:13pm
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OK so here's my question. What age is it acceptable for a child to have their own social network page like FB? Would love to hear peoples opinions.
I have a couple of friends who have kids aged 10 & 12 that have a page. I had a wee look through the link just out of couriosity and was shocked how public these kids pages were! You could see photos & all the wall posts. Which makes me think maybe the parents don't know the kids have a page or just don't take the time to monitor it. -------------  
TTC #3 since Jan 2010 - PCOS MC April 2010 |
Replies:
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 24 November 2011 at 6:25pm
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my niece who is 13 (just) has one too - she sent me a friend request but i declined cause i dont want to have to make sure my stuff is not x rated. i have a nephew about 14 on FB too. and lots of friends have kids younger than that who have them as well. For me though i am thinking maybe 16 but there would be rules, like i would have to know all the passwords and monitor it fully. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: nannikin
Date Posted: 24 November 2011 at 7:45pm
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if i remember rightly i was chatting with friends on msn at about 14 yrs? but my friends and i used to get up to all sorts of hijinks on the ole chat rooms as we were completely unsupervised/unmonitored...
so i think that highschool age would be about right but definitely having their activities monitored for their own safety and wellbeing! ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: tishy
Date Posted: 24 November 2011 at 8:03pm
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Not sure the exact age but definitely teenage years. It would depend on the maturity of each kid too I reckon.
They would also have to add me as a friend and/or have a password that I know (but not necessarily use). Their computer will always be in a public part of the house. |
Posted By: UpsyDaisy
Date Posted: 24 November 2011 at 8:44pm
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Good topic Lisa :)
I agree with teenage years 13 + It is a parents responsibility to educate their kids on internet safety and monitor it. The internet use should be in an public part of the house and I would put a time limit on it. I don't want them getting used to spending the entire day on it, go read a book or meet people IRL! I heard on breakfast a review about a site 'penguin club' maybe. Sounded like they had good safety mechanisms for younger children. I think I would rather wait until they come to me and ask to join something like that I wouldn't suggest it. |
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 25 November 2011 at 8:54am
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I think there is actually an age that you are supposed to be to have a FB page.
A plays games on my page along with DH, drives me mad but he doesn't want his own page. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: fattykat
Date Posted: 25 November 2011 at 10:19am
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I have a neice on there who I defriended when she was about 15 because I was sick of all the crap she put on there! (honestly if she farted she would have probaly put a status update on telling everyone)
I have another neice that is 11 & has a page but I've noticed she isn't on there very often & her security settings must have been set by her Mum. To me, I think high school age but the I would want to be a friend so I could monitor what is being posted. |
Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 25 November 2011 at 10:31am
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My niece has been on FB since she started high school so are all her 1000's of friends. To them its a normal part of their social scene.
Her 10 year old sister isn't interested in social media so guessing its a high school thing. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">   [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: snugglebug
Date Posted: 25 November 2011 at 10:50am
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Well I think they are meant to be 13, but its easy enough to figure out what date to put so you can join anyway which is a flaw but what can you do?
I know people who have made them for their babies/toddlers. Which baffles me, I dont see why, not like they can give permission for it. My father in law made one for my baby and he was told to take it down. I think 13 is fine, as mentioned above I think I was about 11 when I started going on the internet and in chatrooms and chatting on ICQ/MSN. Didn't do me any harm. I think if the parents are happy with their teen being on social media and are monitoring what they do/see, I don't see it as a problem. I think parents do need to be involved so no inappropriate details/photos are posted ------------- Me 28, DH 29 DS born 20 Nov 2010 (4 years old) #2 due October 7 http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: _SMS_
Date Posted: 25 November 2011 at 12:19pm
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I think once my child is a teenager i would allow it.
I see people whose kids have pages & babies even. Bloody stupid if you ask me! -------------  
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Posted By: emz
Date Posted: 25 November 2011 at 10:22pm
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We have kids at school, 9+ who have their own page.
The legal age is 14, as facebook is a registered advertiser and 14 is the age set (I'm assuming in America) where people have been determined to make up their own minds about the advertising they see. That is apparently (according to a constable I was talking to at work) the only reason. I personally don't like how open children's pages are - their parents, if allowing them a FB page, need to get the privacy settings correct and be friends with them to see what's going on. Cyber bullying is all to easy for this generation. I'm assuming by the time my children want a social media site, I'll be OK with it, but with restrictions and parental control (e.g. passwords etc). I don't care if that makes me overbearing to some, it makes me a responsible parent in my eyes. |
Posted By: Keolyn
Date Posted: 26 November 2011 at 9:14am
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I think 13+ is a good age, as long as the parent doubles checks the privacy settings. There are also things like when you're tagged in a photo with someone else that someone elses friends can see that photo aswell which I would worry about. My brother is just 14 and he's been on the internet since he was about 10, he's always been independant and knows his way around things (the kids a smarty pants) but sometimes I feel like he grew up too fast, having a mum who works all the time and his big sisters aren't around to watch him...
Same thing with Cell phones.. I'm a brownie leader and some of our girls (7-9years) have cell phones...I don't understand people giving their young kida cell phones when at that age wherever they go, they should be with an adult anyway! I didn't get one until my 14th birthday and even then I shared it with Mum.. times have changed! (and I'm only 22!) ------------- http://lilypie.com/"> 
http://lilypie.com/"> 
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 26 November 2011 at 9:22am
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From memory you are meant to be 13 to have FB?
I've been online since I was about hmm 14/15. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Jelly
Date Posted: 26 November 2011 at 10:52am
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Facebook does have a minimum age, I always heard it was 13. So anyone under that age with a FB page is actually violating the terms of service and can have their page deleted if it's brought to the attention of FB security.
I've been online since I was 11 or so, but I was sticking to neopets so that was fine haha. I actually still play on neo... Heh... I'm just that awesome  ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: Hopes
Date Posted: 26 November 2011 at 11:07am
Oooh, I was hooked on that for so long  -------------   
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Jelly wrote:Posted By: Flossie
Date Posted: 26 November 2011 at 12:51pm
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As a primary school teacher I was really suprised at how young some students were when setting up FB page and trying to friend me! We also had a parent at school who had all four of her children on FB and the youngest wasnt even a year old - I thought that was really weird! I think 14ish is a good age ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: lisa85
Date Posted: 26 November 2011 at 1:25pm
I remember people doing that ages ago. I have to say I personally found it strange. -------------
TTC #3 since Jan 2010 - PCOS MC April 2010 |
Posted By: Hopes
Date Posted: 26 November 2011 at 1:34pm
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Well, 99.9% of the photos I put up on FB are of Jacob, so perhaps the people who set up sites for babies are more doing it for that reason? I know a lot of my friends must get dead bored of seeing them, I mostly do it for my sister in Canada who misses him like crazy. If he had his own page, I could just sort out to friend the people who wanted to see them? Not that I'm in any hurry to, my friends will just have to put up with it.
As for kids actually using it themselves, I haven't given it much thought yet... another one of those thigns that will come up with time, no doubt (although goodness knows what it'll be by the time Jacob's 10 or whatever...!) -------------
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Posted By: fallen
Date Posted: 26 November 2011 at 1:43pm
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My two older children have fb pages. My eldest daughter has had hers for about 6 months. I set it up and set the strongest privacy settings possible. She is allowed to access it etc but I also have access to it and do check things there regularly. She has rules associated with its use and knows to show me if theres anything on there that concerns her. She must ask before friending anyone. Most of her friends have had fb pages for years and some of the crap they post makes my eyes boggle. I have actually deleted a couple because what they post is way inappropriate.
I also have a fb page for our 2 year old. Again it has strong privacy settings. The purpose of this one is to share photos, videos and milestones of our younger children with our immediate family who live in Australia. This one has a very select friends list. My eldest daughter is one of only three in her class who do not own a cell phone. I've always said that she can have one when she is 16 and can afford to pay for it herself. In saying that she is getting one for her 13th birthday on Monday. The reason for this is we are moving to Melbourne in January and I want her to have a way of contacting me when we're not together. She is terrified she will get lost. ------------- |
Posted By: HoneybunsMa
Date Posted: 29 November 2011 at 2:34pm
My nephew on DP's side and his sister have FB pages she is 12 and he is 10. His older sister has set them up and locked them down I am friends with his nephew but not sister and just looked and there is nothing to see except her profile pic. I know his older sister has passwords and things as she deletes things and when their sister was being bullied by a boy at school she deleted the comments before the 12yr old could see. She didn't however do a screen print to take to school which has annoyed me their poor 12 yr old sister is taller then I am and is up to DP's ear who is 6ft so she is REALLY tall! And she has things like a mo and stuff that teenagers get and this boy was teasing her about it. Not cool!------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: AzzaNZ
Date Posted: 29 November 2011 at 3:04pm
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I'm quite uncomfortable with children having Facebook pages. There's a reason Facebook places an age restriction on profiles.
Also, those kids (or their parents) are posting things that will then be out in cyberspace forever. When your child's future employees do background checks and the like they're likely to stumble over cutesy status messages and pics that could be pretty mortifying once grown up. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
http://intermittentblogger.wordpress.com |