Joy at Home Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Dd12 wants a Facebook account. I say no way. Opinions? Blessings, Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 DH, dd15, dd13, and I all have facebook accounts. We love it. But you do have to set limits because it can be a real time-sucker. You'll want to make sure your kids accounts have privacy settings that you're comfortable with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 No. I wouldn't. When my son was 16 a friend of his mother died suddenly. Her dh had died almost a year exactly before her suddenly too. She had an aneurism and he choked on an orange while having a heart attack. A facebook group started for all the homeschool kids to pray for him so I allowed it. By age 17 he couldn't go 30 minutes without checking it.. This year he decided on his own to boycott it because he said he wasted hours on it doing nothing. I have one and can tell you it is addicting. I have to limit myself. It is crazy, actually I am getting ready to deactivate mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 My boys have one. I haven't found it to be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 All my kids have face book but I have complete access and an account of my own. They have set to private and I approve all friends. It is a way for us all to stay in touch and pass messages and such. It's fun for us. Like a forum for our own circle of family and friends. It can get complicated if you have more than one circle though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyRyan Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 My oldest children wanted them, but we thought they were much too young, so we opened an account for the family. The children have the password, but we're only "friends" with close family friends and family members. It is a nice way to keep in touch with people from far away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciyates Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 I would not let my 12 year because the rules say you must be 13. I think it is bad precedent to have your kids see you break the rules because they seem silly. I am all in favor of parents having the ultimate authority with their children but as role models we have to set a good example. I made my DS wait until he was 13 to get one. He eventually got bored of it and deleted his account. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my2kidsmom Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 I would not let my 12 year because the rules say you must be 13. I think it is bad precedent to have your kids see you break the rules because they seem silly. I am all in favor of parents having the ultimate authority with their children but as role models we have to set a good example. I made my DS wait until he was 13 to get one. He eventually got bored of it and deleted his account. This is why we are waiting for my dd 11 to get one. I would say yes, if the child is over 13 and with limits on time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asta Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 I allowed my son to have a very restricted one. He is not allowed to post any pictures or personal information. I have the password. He is only allowed "friends" that are family members, his tiny boyscout troop, and a couple of friends he has picked up over the years. We are very internet wary or our private information. We allowed him to have it so that he could have a (long distance) relationship with his cousins, etc. My computer sits next to his, so his time on it is extremely limited. a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamommy Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 FB terms of service require a child to be 13, so my oldest dd had to patiently wait until her birthday this past summer. Then I set up it with strict search and privacy standards. It's been fine for us, she enjoys keeping up with those friends and family who aren't close by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 We chose not to - none of us in the family have one. I've seen far too many kids (and adults) that become addicted to it. I prefer to see my boys playing outside, reading, or pulling out a board game when they have free time. We do allow them time on Chess.com and its forums. That's enough for us. My boys are 17, 15, and 13. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 My teens each have one. They don't use their real names but considering they are friended with me, they're "out there" anyway. I didn't tell them, btw, not to use their real names, they just always use these particular names just cuz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 nope. There is too much going on that I don't approve of for kids his age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowWhite Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Another angle: My husband works in IT and FB is a tool used in the industry to do informal "background checks". He said our children will not use FB until they're 18 because if they post something stupid at age 13, it is "out there" and searchable under their name for the rest of their lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Jenny Flint Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 nt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 No way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 I would allow it under some very strict of conditions (I must be friends with him and be able to see his friends as well as limiting time spent there, no real first names.) I joined facebook myself so that I could figure it out and find the security risks before my kids asked for it. My oldest is on a social networking site for gamers. He only has contact with his very small group of friends (IRL friends.) It has not been a problem for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 All my kids have face book but I have complete access and an account of my own. They have set to private and I approve all friends. It is a way for us all to stay in touch and pass messages and such. It's fun for us. Like a forum for our own circle of family and friends. It can get complicated if you have more than one circle though. This is what we do. It is a great way for my dc to stay in touch with their cousins who all live 500 miles away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlowetx Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Here's the other side.. my sil let her young son have one and now he friends all us relatives. Well, now I'm stuck b/c I don't want to friend a young person, because this is just a side of me that I don't want my nephew to see. I don't think he should have an account and start friending adults. You have no control over how the adult uses the account and what the young one can learn or see from their friends updates. Sorry, I just like Facebook being my little adult hide-away..I don't post anything raunchy, but things certainly I wouldn't share with my 13 yrs. nephew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 I only recently allowed my 13 year old to have one as she has far away friends. The FB terms of agreement say you have to be 13 or older and I made her wait. She earns time on it for good behavior, going out of her way kind of good and she is allowed 15 minutes a day after school and chores. She also gets to keep up with and chat with far away family and I think that is a fair use of FB time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 My 11yo just asked for a facebook account and I am making her wait till she is 13 becuase it is the rule per facebook. I would have no problem with her ahving an account. She will have to have me as a friend and I will have her password. We just moved 1000 miles away from her friends so facebook would just be an another tool for her to keep in touch in addition to phone, letters and emails. Also all our family is in Europe so that would help her have a have a relantionship with them as well (and practice her French a bit). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 My 13 year old has one to keep up with his friends from music camp. When he asked my sister to befriend him, she said that the content of her page is not G-rated, and to ask her again when he turns 18. I thought that was a good way for her to handle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 (edited) For those who don't want certain friends to see certain things on your FB wall, you can adjust your settings so they only see what you want them to see. Edited October 13, 2009 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Only me Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 My 17 year old dd and 14 year old dd both have one. My dh and I are friends with both of them so I can easily check their pages if I need to. They have both been very responsible with FB. I like the fact that even if you are friends with someone you can screen what shows up on your feed. For awhile one of my friends was posting comments on their news feed that I didn't really want showing up on my feed so I just changed my controls. My daughters don't use it very often but it is a fun way for them to keep in touch with their friends and also play a few of the games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammy Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 nt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Almost EVERYONE in our immediate and extended families has one. Even my mom (66yo). GREAT way to keep in touch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnetteB Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Nope. I haven't read all the other posts, but I am sure that my reason will have been given already: Too much time would be wasted in front of the computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayle in Guatemala Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 They can't get one until they're 13. Both my dds have one and we just limit the amount of time they are on the computer. Since we live so far from their family and friends in the US and they don't even have a regular friend time here, it's a good way for them to keep up their connections to their friends. We don't let them share any personal information as far as phone numbers, e-mail, or stuff like that. I'm on their friends list and anyone wanting to befriend them goes to my e-mail so I see what is going on there too. I feel okay with it.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Each of my kids has one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 My eldest has a facebook account, it's a way for her to keep in touch with her friends who are scattered around the globe. You are supposed to be 13 before you get an account and I made her wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayle in Guatemala Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Forgot to say that we made each child wait until they were 13 eventhough many of their 11 and 12 year old friends have one. My ds11 will have to wait until his 13th birthday before he gets one too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 My sons have them. No problems so far. It's a fun way for them to interact with their friends. I think we're in a new phase as far as communication, and FB, texting, etc. are part of that new phase, and our kids are the ones who will pioneer what that looks like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nutmeg Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Yep, both girls have them, with limits, as do I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happymainemom Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 I don't see a problem with the time they spend. Just as I limit and supervise what they view on TV as well as the time they spend, I do the same with the computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kat19 Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 My daughter has wanted one, but she isn't 13 yet. She will be Monday. I'm sure she is counting down the days. My husband, son and I have pages. My son knows I can check his page(email, etc) whenever I want. I keep a list of passwords on my desk. Here is a link that I used for privacy settings. I used the advice in this article for my sons page and also for my own. I will be using it to set up my daughters account also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaterbabs Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 13 is the minimum age. Yacko turned 13 this past summer; I thought long and hard before allowing him to have an account. There are rules. He can friend anyone on MY friend list or his father's, but we have to know anyone on his friend list. I keep the password, and he's not allowed to "unfriend" his father, me, or his aunt. He can only log in when all schoolwork and chores are finished, and only if his father or I are NOT using the computer. Violation means loss of the priviledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Not until 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelle in MO Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 nope. There is too much going on that I don't approve of for kids his age. :iagree: Too much objectionable stuff in the sidebar, too many rabbit trails that seem innocent at first, too many "friends" that don't understand why cursing in an otherwise funny video link is a problem... We allowed ds14 to get one earlier this year as a trial. He shut it down a few weeks later on his own. His younger brothers won't be given the option. Chelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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