JOIN USA recent indication by a Facebook official that the website may open itself up to under-13s, and then the subsequent denial by the company, has rekindled the debate over minors using social networking sites.
At the moment, Facebook prohibits those under the age of 13 from setting up accounts and also has provisions for users to report such accounts so that they can be deleted.
However, worldwide many children under-13 are known to have FB accounts sometimes set up with the help of parents. In fact, a survey conducted by a US-based magazine called Consumer Reports revealed last year that of the 900 million users of Facebook, 7.5 million are under 13 and of these more than 5 million were aged 10 or younger.
So the question is that keeping in mind the spread of technology and the reducing ‘age of understanding’ among children should Facebook open itself up to under-13s? Some recent incidents involving FB and kids suggest otherwise.
Just last month, two boy students of Std X from a reputed school in Delhi fought over an objectionable picture one of them had posted of the other on FB, and in the fight the latter got injured grievously. This obviously indicates that minors do not always have the maturity to handle social networking sites, besides other real dangers like distraction from studies and even be-friending dangerous elements like stalkers and paedophiles.
Most educationists, parents and even child psychologists however, seem to have given in to the fact that in this day and age there’s no keeping children away from the internet and socnet sites as they are popularly called.
Ameeta Wattal, principal, Springdales, Pusa Road says, “In our schools these days we teach computers from class I itself, and at home they have access to computers right from the time they open their eyes. They see parents, siblings and friends on FB all the time and are tempted to sign in. So I really wonder if we can stop them.
“Besides,” she adds, “These sites also have some educational and informational value. So the question also is if we should really stop them.”
JP Mahajan, professor at Kirori Mal College and the father of an 18 year-old girl who has had an FB account since the age of 15, says, “I prefer not to stop them. The truth is that the more you tell a child not to do something, the more he or she will attracted to do the same.
“Secondly these social networking sites are actually much safer compared to other more dangerous sites on the internet. So, isn’t it better to let them be occupied with FB than anything else?”
The daughter, Nidhi Mahajan, a popular fashion blogger of Delhi and a student of Std XII at St Thomas School, Mandir Marg opines, “I don’t see anything wrong with children being on FB. It’s a great place to store memories. I have just finished school and will be graduating to college. It’s a convenient way to keep in touch with school friends.”
She adds, “So many of my juniors in school also have an account and as long as you are an aware and responsible kid, it should be perfectly fine. The privacy settings are such that you can easily block someone from becoming a nuisance. Where’s the problem?”
Psychologists say the problem lies with the fact that under-13s wouldn’t know a nuisance from a genuine person. They can befriend anybody who’s showering praises and attention. You can keep faith in the child but how do you to stop ill-motivated people?
Dr. Monalisa Palit, child psychologist at VIMHANS advises, “If you know that your child is on a social networking site, monitor your child’s activity there. See who they are making friends with, what all they are posting and how much time they are spending on the site.
“Encourage them for outdoor activities and to concentrate on actual studies. It will only be some time before they understand that FB is only a part of life, and not life itself; till then they need your supervision. After all, being on sites like FB should be a pleasurable experience, and not something to be sorry about for the rest of your life.”