Social Media and Kids | #socialmedia
We live in a technology driven area, everything runs by technology and everyone uses technology. However, social media and kids can be a tricky subject for most parents to handle. How young is too young to have a social media account? Should kids even be allowed to use social media at all? These questions are ones that many parents face.
Letting your kids use educational apps, and letting them see the horrors that social media can contain, are two completely different things.
Even as someone who developed tools for linkedin automation, it never ceases to surprise me at how many parents allow their eight year olds to have a Facebook account. Especially considering the legal age for a Facebook account is thirteen. (It’s pretty similar for most other social networking sites as well.) And for good reason!
To be sure the pros of sharing their life with family and friends, as well as connecting with distant family members and friends, are high, but there are cons as well. Inappropriate behavior and creepers are everywhere on social media, but the good news is that with parental involvement and an open relationship between a parent and a child, you can avoid the hassles of cyber bullying and immature behavior. Children these days also upload videos and feel validated with the number of views they get.
The maturity of your teenager and parental involvement are the two biggest keys to your child’s safety online. Keep that in mind the next time your thirteen year old asks for a Facebook account.
Totally agree with you when it comes to the age of children to use facebook. I get so sick of hearing people say “watch what you say because my kids can see this” Then do not let them on facebook if you are worried about a couple of cuss words. (sorry my rant)
My son is 3 and he plays on the ipad often but he loves enless numbers, endless reader and endless alphabet and guess what? He can count, he can read and of course knows his entire alphabet!! Not all games are bad as you pointed out. Have a wonderful week.