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I have never questioned why you had to be older than 13 to have a Facebook account. I always assumed it was a good idea not to have little kids on social media. Of course, I was waaaay over 13 when Facebook emerged! It sort of became one of those truths you don't question like don't go swimming for 30 minutes after eating, don't use Wikipedia for a source in a formal paper, don't sit that close to the TV or your eyes will cross. You know these "truths" you are told and they seem reasonable so you don't test them. Why would you want to considering what could be the outcome: drowning, a failing grade, and crossed eyes?
Edutopia blogger, Audrey Watters explains in a reccent blog entry , "Rethinking COPPA in the Age of Social Media" why children under 13 cannot join Facebook. Here's what I got from reading her:
1. Children under 13 require special privacy settings that Facebook doesn't want to offer.
2. Children under 13 require a parent's permission which can require credit card numbers, and/or a parent's email.
3. Parents also have to be given an option on whether their children's personal information can be shared with third parties.
4. Personal information also needs to be collected with "confidentiality, security, and integrity," meaning the privacy policy is posted on every page where personal information is collected.
So truth be told. . . .I have swam within 30 minutes after eating, and sat close to the TV ( I have never used Wikipedia, the fear of a bad grade is too much for me!). Also according to Watters, 7.5 million children under the age of 13 are on facebook. Much like these other truths that need to be tested, it seems like the outdated policies of COPPA need to be overhauled to provide better protection for the 7.5 million under 13 dare devils out there!
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Works Cited
Watters, A. Rethinking COPPA in the Age of Social Media. Edutopia. Retreived August 6, 2011 from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/rethinking-coppa-social-media-audrey-watters?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EdutopiaNewContent+%28Edutopia%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
I know of many children under 13 who use Facebook, and to tell you the truth, it scares me! I refuse to be Facebook friends with any present or former students, but I do get requests from them from time to time. The part that scares me most is the profile pics. Photos of fifth grade girls made up to look 16 years old! I feel that kids need a certain level of maturity to handle the things that could come up as a result of participating in Facebook--I'm not even sure that a 13-year-old is ready for some of the challenging decisions that he or she could face as a result of communicating with others online. Not all friends are actually FRIENDS!
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