Facebook-Keeping Your Kids Smart and Safe

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2009

If you have a teenage child, chances are they are a member of Facebook (or another social networking website such as MySpace) says Chris Tidrick, U of I Exension Computer Specialist. Facebook has over 200 million users worldwide—including more than 6 million United States high school students. While these social networking sites have opened up exciting new ways for teenagers (and adults) to interact with their peers and express themselves, there are certain things that you can help your children keep in mind as they participate in the social networking universe.

1. Facebook is not for pre-teens, despite the fact that many pre-teens have opened accounts with or without their parent's knowledge. Facebook's terms of service specifically state that users must be 13 or older. Think long and hard about the implications of 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.

2. Make sure your child closes his or her profile to people who they have 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.

3. 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. At some point, your child will apply for a job, and irresponsible activity reflected on Facebook could cause them to lose valuable employment opportunities. This is another good reason to have a closed profile and retain a level of personal privacy.

4. 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.

5. Facebook has a whole series of privacy protection controls that most users don't even know exist. Encourage your child to look under the Settings - Privacy area and see how he or she 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.

6. Items posted to Facebook are virtually forever. Although users can delete an account, the account is simply disabled—archived on a server in case the user decides to reactivate the account in the future. Facebook does this as a service to its users who may have second thoughts after deleting their account, but it does have implications for the longevity of the information your child posts.

Source: Chris Tidrick, Extension Specialist, Web Development, ctidrick@illinois.edu