Facebook have done the right thing by setting age restrictions. Children under 13 should not have their own Facebook page. We have seen enough carnage caused by children misusing their Facebook page to know that a bit of maturity is essential to having the privilege of being part of the Facebook community.
That’s why I am appauled to read that Facebook may be trying to recruit underage children:
FACEBOOK claims it can reach more than 150,000 children in WA under the age of 13, according to the social networking giant’s advertising database.
Cyber safety experts say Facebook’s estimated reach shows that many young children are accessing the website despite guidelines stating it is only for older teenagers.
Online Child Exploitation Det-Snr-Sgt Lindsay Garratt warned young children were exposing themselves to risks such as sexual predators, cyber bullying and identity theft on social networking sites.
Facebook allows users access to its database statistics if they’re planning to advertise on their website.
It says advertisers wanting to target young teens in WA could reach an estimated 177,220 users aged 13 or under.
Sen-Sgt Garratt said it was important that parents monitored the websites their children were visiting.
Unless Facebook moderators can show they are doing everything in their powers to stop underaged children from having their own page, Facebook should be legally culpable for cybersafety and cyberbullying incidents as a result of their sneaky tactics and general lack of scrutiny.
Tags: Age Restrictions, Cyber Bullying, Cyber Safety, Det-Snr-Sgt Lindsay Garratt, Education, facebook, identity theft, Parenting, primary school, social media, Social-networking
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