With this age of technology, many kids have cell phones with texting, and Facebook accounts. I have seen children as young as 9 have their own Facebook accounts and although it’s against the terms of service for Facebook, parents continue to allow their kids to participate in this technological age. Some children, as young as 5 years old, have cell phones. They know how to text.
Facebook Terms item 4 section 5: You will not use Facebook if you are under 13.
How responsible are parents with their children?
Parents will balk at the public schools for allowing literature they don’t agree with, but let their kids go on Facebook. Is Facebook any safer than the public schools?
Some parents don’t want their kids hearing about religion in the public schools. Does Facebook forbid religion in their pages, groups, or member’s accounts?
When kids have discussions that include slang terms such as heaven, the ads on Facebook adjust accordingly. If your child is talking about her kitty dieing and going to kitty heaven, the ads will change to offer religious ads to your kids. If your teen or their friends use the term “hell no” or “go to hell” in their discussions, the ads offer advertisements to websites about hell.
{photo credit Lady Jess}
When teens are talking about homosexuality, gay parades and such, even if they are using these keywords as derogatory, disapproval, or in favor of, the ads on Facebook adjust accordingly. I have seen ads for gay pride parades, religious events, and even ads for flirty women chat rooms, depending on what the discussions are on the page you’re on at the time. Also, these ads do not appear instantly. Sometimes these ads appear over the next few days long after those conversations are over.
My point is not to scare you away from Facebook, but rather consider how we are parenting in this technology era. I don’t think the answer is to abstain totally from technology. When we think about the future of the world that uses technology in almost every facet of life, we certainly need to equip our next generation with the knowledge and wisdom to live in this world.
How can a parent become an integral part of their child’s technology hobbies and social lives?
1. Limit data plans on cell phones. Why does a 5 year old need to receive a photo even from a wrong number, that could reveal body parts they don’t need to see? I personally don’t allow my little ones to have a cell phone, but some parents allow their kids to have them because they walk to and from school. Be smart about their texting. You can limit the amount of texts for each month and teach your children that texting is ONLY for contacting their parents in the event of an emergency.
2. Send texts to your kids. Whether they are younger or in their teen years, send them messages to let them know you love them.
3. Be connected to your teen on Facebook. Be friends with everyone they are friends with. Make sure their friends see you commenting on their conversations so they know they are accountable. We don’t have to digitally smack them around on Facebook, but we can most certainly show that we are observing them, even if it’s by ‘liking’ the comments.
4. Have a Family Constitution for Technology. We have a constitution that we posted on my daughter’s Facebook account for all her friends to see.
For safety reasons my family has agreed to the following conditions of my FB account and I want to ask that all my friends respect them and hold me accountable.
Parents and your sister must be your first friends.
Dad & I must know your password.
We will have 24/7 access to your account….
You will include relatives – aunt’s, uncles, grandparents, etc. on your friend list. (Accountability)
You will include our ‘fellowship’ on your friend list. (Accountability)
You may not add any new friends without our knowledge & permission.
We will set your privacy settings and you will NOT change them.
If we feel that a particular friend is drawing you away from God, we reserve the right to ask you to unfriend that person.
You may not play any games or quizzes at all.
You may not join any group or fanpage unless you have permission from both of us.
We reserve the right to amend these rules as you show further maturity & trustworthiness, or as you lack a decrease in your maturity & trustworthiness. Breaking any of these rules, will result in consequences ranging from a FB break, to elimination of your account.
We may amend these rules as needed.
5. Be confident and let your kids know they can be confident. I don’t think we need to scare our kids into obedience. I think we need to teach them how to be wise. We can be both confident and cautious at the same time. However you teach that to your children is up to you.
- Do you have rules for technology in your family?
- What other tips do you have?
*My Facebook Constitution is in my words and while I give permission for you to use them, please adjust them as necessary for your family. Please do not copy and paste to your blog. That would scrape my site and make both our blogs look suspicious to Google.
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