How young is too young for Facebook?

[BigT]

@Leaffan

There’s no definitive answer here. My kids are 11 and 12 and are on there. (And have been for a couple of years, at least.) I don’t see it as being a big deal. Of course we’re not nitwit parents as these folks apparently are.

Facebook can be a fun place for kids to hang out. I try to glance at their activity from time to time, but don’t intrusively monitor it. I’m “friends” with the 11 year old; the 12 year old wants nothing to do with me as a “friend.” She’s a good kid though, and we get along otherwise. I’m “friends” with a lot of her friends who have inexplicably invited me.

I don’t think it’s so much of a too young issue. You need to be involved with your kids, raise them properly and give them some trust and some freedom. I can’t imagine how I would have felt at 10 if all my friends shared this meeting place and I was told by my parents that I couldn’t join in. My parents trusted me at that age to be gone from the house for the entire day, and didn’t have a clue where I was, nor did they care or worry.

I wouldn’t be admitting to illegal behavior here. (TOS’s are supposed to have the force of law.)

[Algher]

Middle School is when it became part of the game for my son. He asked, I allowed in return for full access AND he “friends” me. In exchange, I NEVER post to his wall, but reserve the right to ask questions.

The only issue I have is that it means the the middle school drama follows the kids home at night and on weekends through FB and texting. When I was a kid, once I got I was free until the next morning.

[emmaliminal]

I got a friend request recently from a 12-year-old – she’s the daughter of close friends. I don’t know how much they monitor her online. She’s a pretty good kid, and very smart. But I really wish they hadn’t let her do this, because while I don’t want to hurt her feelings by not friending her, I also don’t really want to share with her all the things I want to share with my adult friends. Not that there’s anything going on in my life at the moment – let alone stuff going on in my life that I talk about on FB – that would be inappropriate for her to hear about, but… I just don’t want to have to be thinking about 12-year-olds in the context of my social life all the time. I can’t simply friend her and then put her on the privacy exceptions lists for everything, because smart as she is, she’s sure to pick up on it when her parents know things about me from FB that she hasn’t read.

[Autolycus]

As a general rule, I’d say 8th grade or high school, depending on the child’s maturity level.

[LSLGuy]

As a general rule, nobody of any age should be on facebook.

[StrangeBird]

Not that long ago there was a news story where I live about a adult man befriending a girl on Facebook (she was 12 I think) and then arranging to meet her in ‘secret’ at a nearby park or somewhere.

Fortunately, the girl told her mother, who notified the police.

I’d be really concerned about a 10 year old on Facebook, particularly if her parents aren’t keeping tabs.

[missred]

My almost 12 year old great nephew is on FB. Among his friends are his mom, grandparents, great grandparents, me, and most of his aunts, uncles and great aunts and uncles. I think that there are only five or six friends outside the family. He is also very well monitored with his internet time in general. Under conditions like this, I think it’s OK.