Should we or shouldn’t we? Allow my daughter to set up a Facebook, that is.
According to her, this can make or break her high school social career.
My safety and security minded husband is worried about predators and hackers.
I’m worried about the number of hours she could potentially spend using the site.
In her sophomore year with a tough load of classes, she doesn’t need any more electronic distractions.
My husband has given our daughter guidelines she needs to follow. Things like not posting a photo of herself on the home page and not using her last name. And of course, restricting access to only people she knows.
In order to research how this all works, I created my own Facebook account. After all, Facebook's new motto is, “it’s not just students” anymore. Every day, their COO said, they have more people over 25 entering Facebook than any other demographic.
This interesting fact had escaped the notice of my two college-aged nieces, who didn't believe I could sign up because I wasn't a student. When I assured them it was possible, they were horrified. "That's just wrong, Aunt Lynn", they said. I guess I won't be asking them to be my friend online anytime soon.
So, do you let your pre-teens or teens join social networking sites? If yes, do you give them ground rules? Do you look at their site?
Do you belong to a social networking site like Facebook or My Space yourself? If yes, do you use it primarily for your personal or business life? Or both intertwined? What do you get there that you can’t get anywhere else?