Kids and facebook

The question asked about kids using Facebook is interesting and highlighted many things.....

SO many don't know the minimum age....it is 13+ set due to restrictions within the US all websites which enable interaction with other users is 13+ by default.

Very few are aware of or know how to use privacy settings and account settings.

You do not need to dictate what can and cannot be tagged by friends before they tag.

You can in fact configure an account that ALL tags need approval before they appear on your wall...I.e. you get a notification and until you click that button to allow it your mates can't see it......unless you like your wall containing anything and everything I suggest turning it on.

Just because someone is on your friends list doesnt mean they can automatically see EVERYTHING unless of course you don't know how to use your friends lists (yes you have multiple lists)

You can add people with the equivalent of one way glass....in order to do this add them to your "restricted list" this is where my kids and their friends sat for QUITE some time.

DO NOT HAVE YOUR PROFILE PUBLIC.....its the most stupid of stupid of stupid......particularly those who mouth off if you have to say it keep it to your friends only it will moderately reduce your risk of being sued. And at least make the case harder for them to make.

I did recently relent and gave my kids access to the full glory of my wall...and you know what.....its better for them to see it than think facebook is just the random crap and viral junk most of their friends share...I might share alot each day...but I actually have standards for what I will and won't share.

Watching theirs and their friends walls.....they need an example......because even among friends they have from church.....there aren't any mature internet users.....stuck only with mum and her geeky tech mates to show them how it's done. But we all do have a solid 10-15 years up on most internet users.....we had our stupid stage before the rest of the world found it and the Internet was still anonymous.

My children were literally progressively taught how to use the Internet from a young age heavily supervised with strict rules....which was slowly reduced from about the time they turned 10.....

Never had an issue with porn.....stalkers....abuse.....

same was done with their mobile phones....

Thing is if you take the time to teach them the rules and build on it and slowly increase their area they can wander and who they can contact.....

You dont have that WAHOO moment when they suddenly get given this awesome flash new thing (at any age) for the first time and no idea how to use it and what to use it for......

Just like a knife in the kitchen, the mower in the yard or a car......it is a tool and they have been trained in how to safely use that tool.

Facebook privacy settings (make the effort to learn how to use them PLEASE I rarely find people whose profiles arent 100% public)....are about the easiest and most customisable of ALL social media services.....

Instagram tinder chat apps (there is a long list of them and this includes Skype) have absolutely SHIT privacy controls......dont use them.

It is actually quite easy to lock down a Facebook profile to only family members. (my daughters extended family have all been interstate most of their lives so we have used it for years to stay in touch with family)

And strangely even though my daughters were amongst the first in their schools to have an account they were the LAST amongst their class mates to start adding their friends which for them didn't start til high school and by then their habits and rules of use were well established.