Having friends and socializing as a child is important. It helps develop character, fundamental values and social skills that will be needed to lead a happy and successful adult life. As we progress further into the modern age, the very way we communicate and establish these friendships is changing as well. Nowadays we can meet people or keep track of friends and family simply by going online. The Internet has opened new doors to the way we interact. Facebook, an social networking website, enables you to connect with people from all over the world. However, are these services meant to be used by adults or are they suitable for children of all ages? And what is Facebook exactly? Here is a evaluation on whether or not you should let your child have a Facebook profile.
What is Facebook?
Facebook was created by students of Harvard University. Initially the websites membership was limited to Harvard alumni, however the website grew rapidly to accommodate other universities and high-schools. Today Facebook is a free-access, global social networking website with a estimate of 300 million active users. It is basically an electronic site made up of names, photographs and individuals with profiles and was initially created with the intention to help students get to know one another.
Pros
Their service enables you to create and update a personal profile to inform people about yourself. Friends that you have lost contact with can find you, or you can try searching for your old classmates etc. Find new friends, keep track of their profile, links, and photos and send them messages. YouTube.com lets you share videos through Facebook, too. Not to mention users can join a variety of networks organized by the city, workplace, school and region. Facebook offers it's services to anyone over 13 and can help your children get more familiar with computers, while keeping in touch with friends.
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Cons
Facebook caters mainly to college and high school students as well as adults. Depending on your child's age, this crowd could be a little too old. The interface itself is not too exciting and allows little room for personalization compared to other social networking sites like MySpace. You can't change much but move a few boxes around. Furthermore, children who spend too much time in front of the computer will not get the physical activity they need and so allowing your child access to these websites could deter them from doing other activities. Additionally, it's important for children to learn social skills, which is only partially possible online.
There is enough information available to argue successfully both ways. Fact of the matter is that Facebook was developed for college students but due to it's increasingly popularity and global network, teens as young as thirteen are now able to sign up. Make the decision if you think Facebook is right for your child, or better yet, try it out yourself to see if it is appropriate for your family!
Tags:
parenting,
social networking