Facebook is the most popular social networking site on the Internet right now. You might want to think of setting up an account yourself to keep an eye on what your child is doing. But, first, it’s important for you to have an understanding of what Facebook is.
Who is on Facebook?
There are over 200 millions users on Facebook world wide. Chances are, if your child is over the age of 15 or 16, they and all of their friends have an account.
What kind of information is shared on Facebook?
Pretty much everything. Once you have a Facebook account, you can post pictures of yourself, your address, cell phone number, school information, what neighborhood you live in, and any other personal information like favorite movies, TV shows, and music. There aren’t restrictions between what minors and adults can upload or post. Unless you monitor what your child makes available, they could virtually have no privacy.
How do I monitor what my child is doing on Facebook?
You have two options.
- Monitor their internet use and computer.
Don’t give your child their own computer, if you are really worried. Make them use a family one and keep it in the living room. That way you can see exactly what kind of pictures they have to upload to Facebook.
Check your child’s internet history.
Most internet browsers have easy ways of doing this.
Make them share their password. By knowing their password, you can get on their Facebook account and monitor who they are talking to and what information they are sharing.
- Set up your own Facebook account.
By setting up your own Facebook account and becoming friends with your child, you can monitor from a distance who they are talking to and what they are posting. But be careful, your child can still hide things from you. There are privacy settings that don’t let certain people (including yourself) see things that you might not want your child to be posting.