My experiences in teaching has taught me that while we try to empower our kids to act responsibly at all times, reality suggests that the message doesn’t always filter through. Sometimes, as unfair or overbearing as it sounds, it is simply naive to suggest that children can act with the responsibility and maturity required to warrant the rights and privileges of older individuals.
Facebook is a two-edged sword. It has its benefits. But even adults can’t ignore that there are risks to privacy involved. The call to bring down the age restrictions of Facebook users from 13, to accommodate Primary students lacks foresight and ultimately makes little sense. Sure you can teach them about privacy settings and warn them about cyber-bullying and cyber-safety, but sadly, there will always be frequent cases of misuse and bullying should the current restrictions be softened.
Soraya Darabi, social media correspondent for ABC America, disagrees:
PRIMARY school students should be receiving lessons in how to make the most of social media and how to protect themselves from its dangers and pitfalls, says a US specialist.
Soraya Darabi, social media correspondent for ABC America, says platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and a raft of newer sites have taken social media to a point where kids need to know how to control what they post online.
“We’re reaching the point where schools should be teaching best practice for social media, right from primary school age, and the importance of protecting their images and information online,” says Darabi.
“They need to know, for instance, that if they are using Twitter they should only be conveying information they are happy to have recorded in the Library of Congress for all time, because that is what’s happening.”
Four years ago, at the age of 23, Darabi helped The New York Times move into social media and she has more than 400,000 followers on Twitter. She says she uses a variety of sites to secure online privacy.
“You must have a few networks that are sacred. For me, anyone can follow me on Twitter. I only accept people as friends on Facebook if I have personally met them. And there’s a site called Path that I reserve for my closest 50 friends, and where I feel safer posting more personal stuff.
“My personality has changed so much online. I still post some personal things. I’m still playful on Twitter, but nowhere near as much as I used to be.
“There’s this whole thing with the personal-professional hybrid that social media is that we’re all still getting used to,” she says. Darabi is reticent about the future of social media; a five-year horizon is far too distant, she says.
Do you honestly think ten-year olds would uniformly accept only the friend requests from people they have met? What is the point of a Primary aged child having a Twitter account anyway? I have absolutely no issues in teaching the importance of privacy settings and alerting my students to cyber safety practices. This is something I currently do. But what is gained from lessons that “make the most of social media?”
Whilst it is essential to enlighten our children of the issues that arise from improper social media use, there is simply no good reason for Primary students having their own Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Tags: Cyber Bullying, Cyber Safety, Education, facebook, Family, kids, life, Parenting, Path, social media, Soraya Darabi, Twitter
Topical Teaching 
May 3, 2011 at 7:11 am |
I understand that social media is a scary thing for parents and caregivers. However, I believe that it is important to not only have a bit of understanding towards social media and at the same time, teaching kids about the pitfalls and dangers of going online. Kids also need to learn that offline etiquette does apply to using online social media and they need to understand that just because they are ‘faceless’ and hiding behind a computer screen doesn’t mean that they can do whatever they please online
May 3, 2011 at 12:18 pm |
I am a little frustrated that teachers are being the ones that are to teach children how to be good digital citizens. Where are the parents? They should be helping out as well. Unfortunately, I know that many parents don’t know how to be a good digital citizen. There are sites out there that teachers can build to help students out with this. Should they be on Twitter and Facebook in primary school? No, but we can set up ways to help them begin their good digital citizenship roles.
August 18, 2011 at 1:52 am |
[…] Soraya Darabi agrees that by teaching children how to use privacy settings and giving them an understanding of social media we are equipping them for the future. Of course parents have a big part to play in this and children are more likely to allow their parents to be ‘friends’ when they are younger. This will allow parents to monitor and ‘teach’ their children how to be digitally aware thus equipping them with the ability to gauge what is acceptable and what should be avoided. Kids and young teens are going to use social media; parents and teachers must find ways to work with kids on these issues. […]
August 27, 2011 at 12:21 am |
[…] to limit the age that young people can go on facebook? This is suggested by Michael G who, in a blog post linked to from Deborah Judah’s writes: “While we try to empower our kids to act responsibly at […]