Facebook is not for pre-teens, despite the fact that many kids have opened accounts with or without parent permission. Facebook's terms of service state that users must be 13 or older. Think long and hard before allowing your pre-teen to lie about their age in order to join. Just because their friends are doing it, doesn't mean they should.
Make sure your child closes his or her profile to people who are not approved as their "friends." This will prevent other Facebook members from looking at your child's profile and postings without their permission. Facebook offers several different levels of profile security, and these can be found under Settings & Privacy.
Talk to your child about the implications of making statements or posting photographs on Facebook that make them appear irresponsible, reckless, or immature. Many employers now routinely check Facebook profiles as a part of the vetting process for job applicants. Irresponsible behavior today could cost your child a future job. This is another good reason to have a closed profile and retain a level of personal privacy.
Be sure your child understands that if he or she posts on the profile (or "wall") of another Facebook member, that posting is viewable by not just his or her own "friends," but all of the "friends" of the other Facebook member. A posting that your child thought was an "inside joke" can suddenly become a cause for embarrassment or worse.
Facebook has a whole series of privacy protection controls that most users don't even know exist. Look under the Settings & Privacy area and see how your child can control which of their "friends" can see certain parts of their profile. Using these controls can allow your child to be "friends" with some other Facebook members, but not necessarily share all of his/her profile information with them. This can be especially useful if your child "friends" other relatives, employers, mentors, or teammates.
Items posted to Facebook are virtually forever. Although users can delete an account, the account is simply disabled—saved on a server in case the user decides to reactivate the account in the future. Stress to your child: Think before you post!
Annette Campbell
Extension Educator, Communications & Marketing and Interim County Director, Franklin County
Franklin County Unit
1212 Route 14 West
Benton, IL 62812
Phone: 618-439-3178 FAX: 618-439-2953 mdcampbe@uiuc.edu
