While 13 is the minimum age needed to establish a Facebook account, lots of kids under this age set up accounts on Facebook and other social media networks by entering in false date of birth details.
How Old Must You Be To Have Facebook
Social media has been proven to play an important role in mentor children life skills for the digital age. Moms and dads can help their pre-teens acquire critical eSafety abilities by being actively involved with their web usage on social networking sites that are specifically for younger children, such as Kidz World, Your Sphere, Togetherville and ScuttlePad.
But for pre-teens, Facebook simply isn't really suitable.
If you're on the fence about helping your pre-teen established a Facebook account, here are some engaging reasons pre-teens must not be on Facebook.
Helping your pre-teen develop a Facebook account is helping them lie about their age.
Not just are you teaching your child that you think it's fine to tell a lie, you will be setting a risky precedent about which guidelines are "ok" to break.
The minimum age requirement is in place since Facebook wishes to keep kids safe.
"We take security really, really seriously and believe that informing parents about securing their kids online is as essential about speaking with kids about not opening the door to strangers or looking both methods prior to crossing the street," said Maureen O'Hara, Facebook-Corporate Communications.
If you teach your child that it is alright to lie about their date of birth to access Facebook, then they might well think that it's fine to lie about their age to gain access to other sites that are not appropriate for children. Teaching your child about the best ways to be safe online includes teaching kids to regard age-restrictions on websites.
Facebook exposes kids to adult material.
The minimum age of 13 was
deliberately set as a method to safeguard pre-teens from adult content. The majority of Facebook's users are older teens and grownups who might post suggestive pictures or utilize inappropriate language for your under-13 child to see.
Kids-focused social networking websites are a safe way for kids to be on a social media network without the risk of them seeing improper content.
Secure your kids from cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying can have extremely damaging outcomes for kids of any age, but is especially devastating for kids in the 6-12 age variety. Children at this age take words really actually and receive criticism more personally. Combined with the permanence of Facebook material, pre-teens might be considerably impacted by taking severe words really personally along with handling content, like images, that live forever online.
Again, informing children about cyberbullying and revealing them healthy ways to react if they or somebody they know are being bullied online will provide a strong foundation for when they do get on Facebook and other social networking sites.
Facebook for pre-teens can add to youth obesity.
Young kids have to stay active with disorganized play, outside time, and lots of in person interactions with other kids. Hanging out on Facebook and other online activities diminishes this active place and may open the door to a more inactive lifestyle, contributing to youth obesity.
Furthermore, scientists at Columbia University recently found that utilizing Facebook may be connected to obesity, for kids and grownups, due to the unfavorable consuming routines that could arise from frequent visitation of social networking websites.
How Old Must You Be To Have Facebook, So up until children reach the age of 13, it's best for them to remain off Facebook and learn the best ways to be safe and make clever choices online in other methods.