Is it just me, or is 8-13 too young for a Facebook?

[Vulgarspy487]

Many of you know what I'm talking about. Parents letting their young children on Facebook, open to stalkers and other online predators. I think that the minimum age for a Facebook should be 16 or 17. By then, many teens know the dangers of the Internet and they take caution (if they're smart). I'm not posting this because I'm not mad that younger kids are on Facebook (which I partially am), but I'm posting this to protect young children. 8 year olds on Facebook lie about their age and do not know about the privacy settings, therefore they do not use them. Younger children are easy targets to killers because of this. I think that it is the lack of parental control. Parents should pay attention to what their children are doing online. They might not say 'yes' to a Facebook, but their children would do it anyway. So, in a way, parents are letting all these things happen to their child. I'm not a parent, but I do understand that it is almost impossible to watch them use the computer all the time; but at least do your best to block out harmful or inappropriate websites on you home computer.

I always thought that Facebook was to catch up with old friends, classmates, and family. I don't really think that 3rd graders need catching up to do, and neither do 13 year olds. High Schoolers may need to swap notes, homework assignments, or some other school related things. But instead of going on Facebook, why don't they just email each other, or call each other. Most teenagers have cell phones anyway, right?

If you think that I'm just talking about Facebook, I'm not. I'm talking about YouTube, Twitter, Myspace, and many other Social Networking sites. I think that no children should be let on these websites! If you agree please say so. If you do not, please post an appropriate age for a child to get a Facebook, YouTube, etc.

P.S. I am 13 and do not have a Facebook, Twitter, etc., and I do not plan on getting one. I only have a Yahoo account, so please don't think I'm being hypocritical. I asked this question to get others opinions. This question is mostly for the adults, but I would like to hear teens/tweens opinions as well. Thank You!

[Hey]

i'm 18 and i've started to use facebok since i started highschool. we don't exchange notes or anything on facebook lol. People put pics, and write stuff. Its just a website if you're bored. Just allow only the friends you know to view ur facebook page. (you can change the privacy setting and stuff).

I think 15 years is a good age.

I have facebook because I'm always studying and can't have much fun so I chose facebook as an alternative. I would rather go to the park and play with my brothers anytime over facebook

P.S. ur really smart and mature for a 13 year old!

[Leslie Turner]

Honestly i think it depends on the kid. If i were to say what age is too young for a facebook i'd say 12. Most kids know the dangers by 12-13. I had a myspace when i was 13, however i do know of one of my old friends who even when she was 14-17 till now she was meeting guys on line, in person. Luckily for her they actually were who they said they were.
It depends on the kids though. and i do believe that the parents should make sure that the kid is mature enough to be allowed on the internet and maybe the parents should also have the password and all access to their young kids account.
I believe that there are some 13 year olds who can handle it and some who can not. I think their are some 13 year olds that can handle it better then some 17 year olds can.
It all depends on the person.
(however anything under 10 is just weird, who needs one at 10?)

[LOL I PWN UR FACE]

I am 13 as well. I used to have a facebook, but the recent updates completely violate privacy. No matter what you did, people would always see what you type, what games you played, who you talked to, and ANYTHING you posted. Say you just got married and you find a friend from high school and you say hello to them. Right as your friends or mutual friends log on, they see what you said when they glance at the home page, and it will get twisted around so much (depending on how many friends you have) to the point where a simple "hello" becomes sexual relationships with that high school friend. Letting children under 15 join social networking sites only increases the amount of bullying at young ages. Many reasons why kids are picked on is because of rumors spread around computers or false edited pictures (photoshopped) are used to make a person feel bad about themselves. I as a 13 year old regret getting a facebook in the first place. I think that social networking should be completely abolished. You get sucked into it, it brings down your grades, and it makes you lose contact with the real world around you.

[Screen Burn]

All responsibility for a child lies with the child's parents or carers.

I think that it would be more important for a parent to teach their kid some basic manners, respect, and human decency. If a kid is respectful and well mannered then they are much less likely to run into trouble, regardless of what websites they might or might not visit.

A parent can't be expected to make decisions regarding every one of the billions of websites out there, at some point we have to admit that it makes much more sense to train the child to make those decisions independently.

Age is a massive red herring. Different children grow up at different rates, everyone is different. Only a parent can decide when their child is ready for unsupervised internet access. Until then, the parent should supervise internet access.

[dannyboy2111]

i think 13 is just the right age that they should use facebook as long as they use it safely