The most common questions that parents have today are all related to Facebook, since every student wants full access and most parents don’t know enough about it.  It is a generational thing, like rock and roll was misunderstood by our grandparents.

In the same way that our parents monitored our use of the telephone, television, and movies, parents today have the duty to monitor their children’s use of social networking sites, like FaceBook.  By the way, if you want an interesting discussion, ask any fourteen-year old if Facebook is more popular than television.

Well, here is a good list of protections for preteens and younger teens, especially.

1)  Parents will know the password and have access to the child’s page.

2)  Parents can customize their child’s settings to make profile safer (privacy, visibility, etc).

3)  Email of posts, friends, etc. come to the family’s home e-mail.

4)  Parents will have an account on Facebook, and children must add and keep parents as “friends.”

5)  Children will not add strangers as friends, or use the Facebook “chat” application to talk to strangers.

6)  Parents will set a limit on the time that children are allowed on Facebook.

7)  The computer will be kept in a common area of the house, such as a living room or play room, where it will always be in easy view.  This is true for all internet access, not just Facebook.

8.)  Children will not share personal information (address, phone number, pictures, etc.) with anyone on Facebook that they do not know well.  They need to be very careful with the pictures they post, as well (the fewer, the better).

9)  Children will immediately tell their parents if they see anything or talk to anyone on Facebook that makes them uncomfortable; and parents will take immediate action to block or report that material.

10)  If the child breaks any of the set guidelines, his or her account will immediately be deleted and a probation period will begin until they re-earn their parents’ trust.

This list is taken directly from… http://www.allprodad.com/playbook/viewarticle.php?art=397

Please comment here if you want to add or subtract anything from this list.  Just be sure to explain why.