With many
(approximately 7.5 million) children under the age of 13 already creating
Facebook accounts, by falsifying their age, perhaps it seems remiss of the
now-public corporation to not take advantage of this market. By doing more to
cater to this already engaged audience, Facebook can increase their profits in
targeted ad revenue AND help control settings to create a safer social
environment. At least that is the solution they’re presenting. Facebook knows
that ignoring the problem won’t make it go away. The question seems to be, is
this the best way to handle it?
The newly
planned structure, which has not been officially confirmed, will allow children
under the age of 13 to create and use Facebook accounts, but they must be
hosted under a parent account. The parent account will have control of who
their child can become friends with, what applications the child can use and
what information, if any, is made public. Additionally, parents can see
anything their child has posted, sent or received—including private messages.
While this may sound like a cautious solution to an admittedly existent
problem, it is also freely opening the doors of the world of social media to an
audience that may not be ready to handle it. It is estimated that the under 13
user base would increase the number of Facebook users to 900 million, if this program is implemented.
However, the question still remains, how effective will it be? Today, among the
parents that are aware their preteen has a Facebook account, only 18% have
requested their child as a friend. If such a simple step to monitor their
children is not being taken, will parents have any interest in these additional
monitoring tools and controls?
Though
Facebook has yet to acknowledge the details, the supporters and
cynics have already taken sides, all of which seem to be focused around safety.
Among the supporters, parents and caregivers that feel this will create a safe
place within social media where their child(ren) can be connected while still
being protected. While those who don’t support the plan claim there is no place
in social media for preteens. These parents and caregivers are concerned that
even with monitoring, the internet may not be a safe place for kids. Of course,
there are other groups just demanding details. In fact, two US Senators,
Democrat Markey and Republican Barton, have crafted a quite lengthy (14
paragraphs!) letter to Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, full of questions
about these preteen accounts and their protections.
