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Are there any other teens living without a facebook account?


cave canem
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My 13 year old was recently set up with a facebook account. We did not use his real full name and I "own" it - I have the passwords and can get on at any time. He has posted on it twice since he got it in October. But he is involved in some activities where he will miss notifications of social activities on if he didn't have one. One kid was just left out of a get together last week until it was too late for him to join because he missed a face book mass mail. None of his friends activity post much. It's just a decent forum to set up events and mass group e-mails. And his friends share pictures too. They all do theater and related activities. There is also some local teen homeschool stuff shared exclusively on FB.

 

I won't let my kid use snapchat. There are some real security issues with their model and they have gotten quite a bit of negative press as of late. Not that FB is awesome in terms of security, but I feel like I can control it a little better.

 

I also don't want my kid's first experience with social media be when I cannot guide and discuss it with him. He also uses e-mail and skype to communicate with friends. And Steam, for his gaming friends.

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My teen dd does not have FB either. She does not do any of the social media things yet at all. She hasn't asked and I'm happy to wait a whole lot longer. I did tell her years ago that she definitely could not have a FB account before the age of 13 because that was the FB rule. She hasn't asked about it since turning 13.

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Dd13 doesn't have one and hasn't asked. I have one but never go on it, and she knows I think it's silly and redundant at best, destructive at worst.

 

A friend's 14 year old doesn't have Facebook, and over the summer holidays found herself left out of social arrangements made through Facebook, rather than through personal texts or calls. While that's indicative of all the problems of Facebook relationships imitating actual relationships (if they were really good friends, they'd call her), it doesn't solve the problem of her feeling excluded. If dd started to run into that problem we'd probably go with Facebook on a 'check once a day' sort of arrangement. (ETA: I'd forgotten about email notifications, as I cancelled mine. No need to check the account unless an arrangement is posted!)

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DD has no interest.  She never has.  Besides the lack of general interest, too many friends ended up really hurt or angry over posts other "friends" have made on FB once they hit middle school.  She hates drama, always has, so she absolutely abstains.  She prefers email and texting instead.  So do I, for that matter.  DH on the other hand.... :)

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Teens use Instagram and SnapChat now.  And those whose parents don't allow that, do it on their friends' phones.

 

You can delete anything you want on FB as long as you have an account.  If your friends post photos of you, or say things about you in a post, and you don't have an FB account, there is nothing you can do about it.  Same with any other social media.

 

The kids in my youth group are always taking photos of themselves and other kids (who I know aren't on any social media at all...per their parents), and "Instagramming" them.

 

So just because your kids aren't on social media....doesn't mean they aren't on social media. ;)

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My 15yods does not.  He's pretty social but has no interest.  His friends text if they want to make arrangements for something.  I've encouraged him to get on FB just to keep up with a small number of friends from a specific group, but he has no desire.

 

And believe me, it's not that he doesn't spend other time on the computer!

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