Does your child have his or her own Facebook account? Are you letting your child use the account unattended? Facebook requires people to be at least 13 years old before they can create their own Facebook account.
That being said, some parents make accounts for their kids who are under age 13 – and some kids make their own Facebook account without their parent’s knowledge. Either way, it is important to keep kids safe while they are on Facebook. Here are some tips for parents that can make their child’s Facebook experience a lot safer.
Limit The Child’s Activity
Does your child want to go on Facebook so that he or she can send a message to a relative? Is your child primarily interested in Facebook because of the games that are on it? One way for parents to keep their kid safe while he or she uses Facebook is to limit what they can do when on it.
Don’t tell your child what your Facebook password is. This forces him or her to wait for you to be there before they can access Facebook. Activate the Facebook game your child is interested in and then let him use Facebook after that. This can limit what you child sees on your Facebook page.
The goal is to sit with your child the entire time they are using Facebook. Your presence can help prevent your child from reading or seeing something upsetting, from being harassed by an adult stranger, or from making a microtransaction purchase through the game they are playing.
Delete the Child’s Account
Are you sure that your child doesn’t have his or her own Facebook account? Log into Facebook and do a search for their name. Some kids have lied about their age in order to create a Facebook account without their parent’s knowledge.
If nothing comes up in your search, it likely means your kid isn’t on Facebook. However, if you do find your child’s unauthorized account, it would be a good idea to see what he or she has posted. It is possible to report an account that was created by someone who is under the age of 13. Parents can also step in and make their child delete their Facebook account.
Teach Your Child How to Be Safe Online
Eventually, your child will be old enough to make their own Facebook account – with our without your permission. It’s time to have a discussion about internet safety. Teach your child not to share their password with their friends. Teach them how to discern an advertisement from a authentic post. Make sure they understand why they shouldn’t share information about themselves with strangers.
Image by Julien LOZELLI on Flickr.
Related Articles on Families.com:
* Parenting in a Social Media World
* Your Tween May Be Posting Personal Information on Instagram