Should under 13's have their own Facebook accounts?

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Great way to communicate with friends and family overseas Free, easy to setup and manage (puresight.com) Educational - you can discuss school work and share resources, set up a study group (puresight.com) Enhances social skills - 88% of teens value social media because it increases self esteem and helps them communicate with friends (puresight.com)	Greater chance of being cyber bullied. 51% of children have been bullied online (relevantchildrensministry.org) Antisocial behaviour - 25% of teens log into social media 10+ times a day Addictive - time guzzler, can get hooked on games (puresight.com) Exposed to inappropriate/offensive content (puresight.com) Privacy - Under 13’s not mature enough to keep important information private

Should children under the age of 13 have their own Facebook account? by Kristy

Social media is a good way for people from around the world to communicate and connect with each other digitally.  There are many different social media platforms you can use like Twitter, Instagram, Viber and Snapchat.  The most widely used social media platform is Facebook.  In 2004 Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook and now there are 1.4 billion Facebook users.  5 million users are under the age of 13 which is the minimum age that you should be to have an account.  In New Zealand 23% of primary school kids are on Facebook (stuff.co.nz).  Is it a good idea that kids under 13 should be allowed to have their own Facebook account?

Many people agree that children under 13’s should have a Facebook account  because it enhances social skills and self esteem.  This is because it helps children communicate well with friends.  Also if you get lots of friend requests you might feel better because you might think you are more popular.  Whereas other people think that children will display antisocial behaviour if they have a Facebook account. 25% of children log onto social media 10 plus times a day, this causes children to interact with others less face to face and waste time.  In my opinion I think that kids shouldn’t have a Facebook account because their social skills will become better if they weren’t on social media.  They will be able to participate in activities more and will be able to interact with friends in the real world.

Another reason why people think under 13’s should have a Facebook account is because it is a great way to communicate, and connect with friends and family overseas.  This is because Facebook is a worldwide platform that people use to chat with.  Children under the age of 13 can talk to their extended family members and friends overseas.  On the other hand people disagree because children under the age of 13 are not mature enough and might give away their personal information such as their address, phone number, age, full name and many more.  One other reason is that they might get exposed to inappropriate and offensive content (puresight.com).

Some people think that it is good for under 13’s to be on Facebook because it’s easy to set up and is free (puresight.com).  Facebook accounts are also very easy to manage which means parents don’t need to check and help their children on Facebook.  However children might make an account without their parents knowledge.  Children under age also have a greater chance of being cyber bullied.  According to relevantchildrensministry.org  51% of kids have been bullied online.  This is bad because it can affect and change how the child reacts/acts to things in the real world.  This can also affect the child’s learning in school.

Overall my opinion is that under 13’s shouldn’t have their own Facebook account because the child has a higher chance of being bullied, they might display antisocial behaviour and may also give away private information.  Therefore I recommend that if you are under 13 before signing up to Facebook think about the consequences and what might happen online.