This is an easy question to answer for a guy who only has a 4-year-old. I don't have to look at my 13 or 14-year-old and think - should I let him go on Facebook or MySpace?
Julie Garten sent in this question yesterday: "How young is too young for FaceBook? My 14 year old daughter asks me almost DAILY if she can have an account." So we went to her house and talked to Julie and Tara (who seemed quite mature and put together), along with Christine Greenhow from the University of Minnesota.
Each parent has to make his or her own decision, and different kids are at different maturity levels. My belief is that at some point, they will go online. So why not set ground rules, supervise it, and use the technology for good?
If you're on Facebook, here's the page where I asked this question, and more than 30 fascinating comments (plus 4 dumb ones. Kidding!)
Facebook has a page of safety tips including: "Remind [kids] to: Never share their password with anyone, Understand their privacy settings, Report people that violate our Terms of Use , Block anyone that might be sending unwanted content"
MySpace has tips for parents too. Tons of great tips including video tutorials on how to lock down social networking privacy settings at GetNetWise.org.
Paul sent in this question awhile ago, and sent me this video today, saying that letting his daughter use Facebook has turned out just fine.
He monitors her site, has her password, and keeps the privacy settings locked down.
Questions: Would you add your kid as a friend? (Do you want your 13-year-old seeing all of your stuff on your facebook page? Do you really want to see all their conversations?) Is 13 too young? What on earth will I be struggling with when my 4-year-old is old enough for one of these sites?
