For or against parents logging onto kids facebooks?
July 4th, 2011Do you think parents should give kids their privacy? Or should they moniter their kids facebooks and know every thing they do? What is your opinion?
Privacy is not a right. If my child wants a social networking page, they will have the privilege of allowing me to monitor all traffic. We are not so far removed from days where houses had one phone in the middle of the living room and that was it. Where was the privacy there? That’s right, there was no privacy when it came to talking with friends. My parents knew who all my friends were growing up. They had met all of my friends parents at least once. And because of all that leg work that my parents did to keep up with my social life, they allowed me a great deal of privileges. I’m not an old person either, I say this as a 20-something woman.
Facebook, while a great tool for staying in touch, is a privilege. Until my child can sufficiently prove to me that they can conduct themselves responsibly, I get access to everything.
July 4th, 2011 at 10:18 pm
Against. Giving a child no personal space and invading their privacy is going to do more damage than talking to friend online.
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July 4th, 2011 at 11:05 pm
For that. Kids now a days are uncontrollable and they like to "impress" their friends on facebook by posting crude statuses and saying unnecessary things. I would do that if my child had a facebook. They find it unfair or an invasion of privacy but its really just protecting your kid.
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July 4th, 2011 at 11:20 pm
I say log on a view whats going on and after a while ease up a little bit. But an every now and then snoop is necessary to check up on their activities. Just don’t be sneaky about it. Let them know you will be monitoring and as you build trust you will give them more privileges.
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July 5th, 2011 at 12:07 am
Maybe have your own Facebook and have them as a friend. I would however, no go on their account, that’s invading their privacy too much. I would set regulations for my kids Facebook account, such as privacy settings, and not to have Facebook friends they do not know, and to remind them to be careful of what they do and post of fb! I think knowing their password is a bit too much for a parent, kids do need space and a little privacy!
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July 5th, 2011 at 12:24 am
My kids know they don’t have any right to privacy unless I give it to them, everything they do is my business. They don’t have facebook pages, if they want to talk to their friends they can do it the old fashioned way and call them on the telephone or invite them over.
If they don’t like my rules, they can get a job and move out.
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July 5th, 2011 at 12:30 am
True Story: Back in the day when Facebook didn’t exist and the only way of communicating online was through chatrooms is where I found my then 11 year old little sister talking dirty online to who knows who. I proceeded to smack her across the head and call her an idiot.
Now what do you think my answer is??
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July 5th, 2011 at 1:02 am
Against , if kids can’t have privacy on their facebook page at least , and can’t talk to their friends without having their parents knowing exactly what they’re talking about , then that kid is going to grow to dislike their parents , so logging onto their kids facebooks is a step too far , which is why it shouldn’t be done.
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July 5th, 2011 at 1:13 am
Parents should definitely monitor what goes on on Facebook. Kids don’t realize that things said on the internet can follow you forever or that giving out personal info can be dangerous.
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July 5th, 2011 at 1:41 am
I don’t know if you are a parent or not but I am 14 and i have a facebook. I asked them if i could have one and they said yes and told me that they completely trusted me, witch i appreciate greatly. I feel like if my parents were to monitor my facebook i would feel like they didn’t trust me which is never good. I really think it is up to the parent and the kids behavior. But if you want to monitor their facebook maybe they shouldn’t have one in the first place.
Hope i help
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personal
July 5th, 2011 at 1:55 am
Totally against
No one should have a facebook account if they are under 21 anyhow. I don’t have a facebook and I am twice that.
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July 5th, 2011 at 2:33 am
Privacy is not a right. If my child wants a social networking page, they will have the privilege of allowing me to monitor all traffic. We are not so far removed from days where houses had one phone in the middle of the living room and that was it. Where was the privacy there? That’s right, there was no privacy when it came to talking with friends. My parents knew who all my friends were growing up. They had met all of my friends parents at least once. And because of all that leg work that my parents did to keep up with my social life, they allowed me a great deal of privileges. I’m not an old person either, I say this as a 20-something woman.
Facebook, while a great tool for staying in touch, is a privilege. Until my child can sufficiently prove to me that they can conduct themselves responsibly, I get access to everything.
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July 5th, 2011 at 3:05 am
Parents should get their own facebook accounts and friend their kids.
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July 5th, 2011 at 3:43 am
AGAINST! God, parents should back off a bit and give their kids some privacy. Now, if there were a good reason for the parent to monitor it, that might be different. But I always think a parent should tell the kids that they’ll monitor it. That fixes a lot of trust issues that might be involved.
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July 5th, 2011 at 3:54 am
My children are not allowed to have a Facebook account until they are 16 years old. The Internet is a dangerous place for kids and there really is no reason why they have to be on a social networking site. They can pick up the phone or go to their friend’s house to talk.
I do let my kids use the Internet for homework/studying and to play games, but I monitor all their activities.
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July 5th, 2011 at 4:22 am
yes, yes, yes! parents should be aware of what their kids are doing especially online
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July 5th, 2011 at 4:55 am
It depends…
Because for
1. Kids tend to act differently and talk differently around their friends… While it isn’t necessarily disrespect for their friends; its just acting differently than they would around their parents or other adults. (I personally wouldn’t want to get in trouble for how I talk with my friends because chances are; the way I talk to them I wouldn’t talk to an adult that way)
2. Are you telling them that you are checking it or just doing it without your child knowing? Because if you doing it without your child knowing that you’re going to look through it then they may not trust you. (Having your child trust you is just as important as you trusting them)
3. Is there a reason you actually have to Monitor their facebook? Because I think that if a child has proven they do not have to be monitored on facebook then I don’t think that they should be monitored.
4. What will they get into trouble for if you see something? Will they get into trouble for things that their friends do? Like if you see them talking with one of their friends about how much they don’t like a teacher (and you know how kids can get when talking about someone that they don’t like) will they get into trouble for that? If their friends post something bad will your child get into trouble? If you see that your child is talking about something that you did that they didn’t like will they get into trouble?
All in all; I think that if a child doesn’t have to be monitored nor given you any reason to monitor them then I don’t think they they shouldn’t have to be monitored. I have a FB and my grandparents (or uncles) have to monitor it because I grew up on the internet so I know what and what not to do.
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July 5th, 2011 at 5:04 am
When I was younger I was going into chat rooms I shouldn’t have been in, and even had very inappropriate conversations with people. I even told someone that I didn’t even know, where I live, my phone number, how old I was. I was very lucky that nothing happened. My parents never followed me on the computer, and they probably should have, because I was obviously naive to the dangers and was too young to understand that bad people could actually hurt or take me away. And that was when dial-up was the only way to get on the internet, now a days there are so many different websites and chat rooms, and facebook, and kids just don’t understand how it can be dangerous. Even if you do tell them, they will most likely ignore you or sneak around to do what they want. Their kids we all did it. At some age of course you can let them spread there wings, but kids defiantly need to be monitored in some way on facebook.
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July 5th, 2011 at 5:17 am
My parents don’t go on to my account, they believe I need privacy and that my life is not their bussiness as long as I don’t give them a reason not to trust me. I get good grades, hang out with nice people, and don’t use it too much.
In some cases if something was wrong I think the account should definately be monitored. Of course if this is the case, the child should know that the account is to be looked at by a parent.
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July 5th, 2011 at 5:37 am
I depends on the kid.
I have one I monitor & one I don’t. The 17 year old has more freedoms & has earned his right to some privacy.
The 16 year old…well he gets sucked into elaborate schemes with girls, his bio mom, signs up for adult dating sites & older sibs try to get him to steal for them (both kids are adopted). I’d be a complete fool to not check up on him.
As a parent my job it to protect my kids & raise them to be functioning adults. Kids over 13 don’t equal tiny adult, they are still kids.
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July 5th, 2011 at 5:46 am
There are so many kids who have their parents checking their facebook and are still the ringleader of horrible bullying. Just because a parent checks the one they know about doesn’t mean it’s the only site they use or the only account they have. Nothing stops them from creating 10 yahoo addresses or hotmail accounts and signing up with facebook on each one. All they would have to do is make their name not show up in search results for that account. It’s actually amazing how easy it is for kids to hide online. To answer your question, I don’t think it matters unless they actually follow up on what they find if it is dangerous or risky and stay out of their business if it’s not. I have both my parents on my facebook and I’m 22 (but I’ve had them on myspace when I was 16 also) and my dad asks about every "like" or status comment. I find it so irritating. It’s invasive and it doesn’t lead anywhere. People say facebook is a good conversation starter but I really think if you only know things about your kid because you found it on facebook you need to re-evaluate how you spend your time with them. I think too much checking or inquiring about things that won’t lead to a serious conversation isn’t good. Maybe once in awhile talk about a funny email you got or some big news someone shared on facebook with you and they might do the same. I am not saying never mention anything you saw on their fb unless its serious, I’m saying asking about every detail is irritating. And this is from someone who is not even a child!
EDIT: I just wanted to add based on what Easysaid mentioned about maybe they should not have one in the first place. I think if they just want to have something personal you should talk with them and consider other things that could be just for them. Also, like she mentioned, if you have to ask this question you know damn well they need to be monitered. The thought crossed your mind for a good reason. Knowing everything your kids do is what drives a lot of kids away. Not only that, have you ever had friends that you didn’t tell everything to for a reason? What was that reason? Make sure you aren’t doing that to your kids. You always want them to come to you rather than discovering issues on facebook.
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