Facebook Considers Access For Children Under 13
A report in the Wall Street Journal is sure to embroil Facebook in yet another debate. The Journal this week reported the social network site is working on a set of policies and controls to allow children under 13 to use the site. If true, the issue will spark heated debate!
Presently, to set up a Facebook account a user must be at least 13 years old. However, it is widely accepted that children have learned how to circumvent the rules and have established profiles.
Twitter, meanwhile, is said to be planning to start carrying liquor advertising and plans to establish an age-verification system.
John of Brisbane, Australia, is an activist working to protect children online. He recently posted to ConsumerAffairs that he had been trying for weeks to bring the issue to Facebook's attention.
“There are underage children on Facebook, even posting their age and country,” John wrote. “I have tried to report it so it can be fixed but just get ignored.”
While some critics were quick to denounce Facebook for a ploy to add to its already huge membership roles, others suggested a set of safeguards for young users would be an improvement. According to the Journal article, the children's accounts would be connected to their parents' so that parents could exercise control over whom their kids can select as friends and what applications they can use.
Something to consider?
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