There is no reason for children, including TEENAGERS, to have social media accounts. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and other sites I may have missed, should not be on the minds of youths.
My oldest child (12 years-old) recently asked the age requirement for a Facebook account. My response was:
You’re old enough to have a Facebook account when you’ve been out of high school long enough for at least one class reunion, have a job, and have your own residence.
I went on to explain to him that social media sites is a great way for adults to connect with childhood friends, and former classmates they may have lost contact with over the years.
Social media is also a great way for networking. I have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, and I network with a lot of people whether it’s professional, hobbies, or just plain socializing.
But I can do that. I am an adult that graduated from high school and college years ago, I have a husband, kids, job, and my own residence. In other words, I have something to talk about. Not giggle and post/tweet kid talk about something I’ve already said in 4th hour.
There is no reason for kids to have a social media account because they see each other at school, church and in their neighborhoods. They even talk to each other by phone.
A child (I know this person well) sent me a Facebook friend request recently. I was shocked. I still haven’t told my son because I don’t want him thinking that he can create an account.
But I was shocked even more a couple of days ago. Under the People You May Know section on Facebook were the names of two children, both in the single digit age range. A what the f**k came out of my mouth before I knew it. I rarely cuss, so you know I was frustrated.
PARENTS: Keep your kids off of social media sites. They have no business on there. We are not around our children 24/7 but we should be aware of what they are doing. And I’m damn well sure you know that your young children (maybe even your teenagers) are on Facebook and Twitter because they are on your friends list.
There are all kinds of predators lurking the internet. Some may even pretend to be a child just to lure your children to their dungeons. For the kids on media sites that are shy, timid, and bullied, watch out. These sickos are just waiting to pounce on them. But this won’t happen if you make sure your kids stay off those damn websites.
PARENTS SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE if they know their kids are engaging on social media sites. They should be charged with child exploitation and indecent exposure, because they’re handing their children over to pedophiles, and other sick scumbags, on a platter.
If children insist on surfing the web, then steer them to educational sites like:
Brain Pop is used at my youngest child’s school. There is a password, but some areas of the sites do not require a password. He even wanted a home subscription for his birthday last year, and of course I got it for him.
My youngest also discovered Kids Health a couple of months ago while surfing the web. He is special needs and was searching for EEG, a test he was scheduled to have within the next few days.
There are plenty of kid-friendly websites available for kids. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr are not on the list. Well, they’re not on the list in my home.
Words By Me 