Richtel, M. & Helft, M. (2011, March). Facebook users who are under age raise concerns. The New York Times. Retrieved April 1, 2011, from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/technology/internet/12underage.html?_r=3&src=tptw.
Are tweens today prepared for using Facebook? This article explains that young tweens are lying about their age to gain access to Facebook and other social media tools. Some of these tweens have consulted their parents before signing up for an account, and the parents have agreed to them having an account. The author then discusses why the parents feel that it is beneficial for their tweens to have accounts. Another area of concern is that the lying about one’s age for an account is sending a bad message to tweens that it is alright to lie once in a while. One of the tweens in the article states that she started lying about her age when she was in second grade, and has continued on past thirteen. The consequence that she faces is that she cannot change her birthday on her Facebook account. What happens though if theses tweens continue lying to buy drinks, get into a bar, etc?
I feel that these rules concerning age are appropriate and should be followed by tweens and their parents. I found that the reasons the parents gave for allowing their tweens to join was minor; there was no real good reason. Tweens should have to wait until they meet the age requirements for joining a site. These Internet sites need to continue blocking tweens under the age of 13, provide better protection tools, and set up consequences for those that lie about their age. None of this is easy, but it needs to be done along with school districts including the Internet and its usage in their general curriculum. This can be included in a computer class or in the libraries curriculum.
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