Is Facebook Safe For Children? – Being Parents

We all know Facebook, whether we have an account or not, since it is the largest social network in the world. Facebook requires a minimum age to create a profile, in order to prevent children under 13 from using the site. Regarding this minimum age, the following question arises: is Facebook safe for children?

In reality, the age restrictions imposed when using Facebook are rarely observed. Anyone of any age can create an account. Indeed, all you have to do is enter a false date of birth when creating your profile.

The result is that millions of children under 13 use it every day. By the way, be aware that Facebook has an option through which you can report that a child under 13 is using the social network. You can do this through a simple form.

Why is Facebook banning children under 13 from using the site?

The reason for the age limit imposed by Facebook is, above all, due to the regulations. These regulations may vary from country to country and prevent access to Internet services for children in order to ensure their privacy.

If it was from the resort of its creator, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook should be used even by the youngest children. Recall that in 2011, the same Zuckerberg said that the age limit should be reduced so that younger children can use it for educational purposes. So we ask the question again.

Is Facebook Safe for Children?

This subject is the source of much controversy. Many supporters of the social network believe that its use is good for children under 13 who use a social network like Facebook. We could give for example the educational use. The detractors are totally opposed to it, alleging the multiple dangers facing children.

The most important thing is to understand the real risks that Facebook can involve and, based on that, to decide if we want children to use it. All this without breaking the restrictions imposed by Facebook so that children under 13 do not use the site.

Is Facebook Safe For Children Over 13?

• If our kids are under 13, the answer is very simple: they shouldn’t have a Facebook account. Under any circumstances.

• For those over 13, the risks are there and some can be very subtle. Online bullying is the most obvious danger, although it usually only affects a minority of children.

The obvious risks of Facebook

As we cannot access our child’s account without their password and Facebook will not share it with us for data protection laws, you may not know what they are posting, who are their friends or what privacy options they have set.

Not knowing who their friends are on the social network is a problem because many stalkers or perverts pretend to be children. It is therefore impossible for us to make sure that the child only communicates with other children that he really knows.

As a more subtle risk, there is evidence that Facebook tends to trick people into creating an ideal image of themselves and trying to keep it. This causes great social competition and can make children feel bad, incompetent, not socially accepted …

Also, as with any online site, it can be difficult or impossible to delete items. Whether it is one thing or another, it can be difficult if not completely impossible to erase something they are ashamed of or regret. The fingerprint is created and the resolution of this problem can become a real problem months or years later.

If the children decide to create their Facebook account

Of course, we have solutions. If we see that our children (over the age of 13) decide to create an account on Facebook, we can set some ground rules for them and explain to them the dangers they may face.

Obviously there will be risks, but you have to take into account that there are always risks in life and that it is better to learn to face them than to try to avoid them forever. But we have to remember that whether we like it or not, it’s up to us to decide whether our kids should use Facebook or not.