We talked about this a couple weeks ago and a lot of people said they think Facebook should be able to do what it wants and parents should be more responsible. It seems Facebook has decided to change its policies anyway. I am not sure if I mentioned this on the blog or if I was talking to a local mom, but I want to make sure you know, one of the biggest ways kids are doing inappropriate things on-line is when they take their phones to bed with them. They say, "Mom, come on. It's my alarm clock." That gives them access to Facebook and millions of other websites where you would typically monitor their behavior. It might be something to keep in mind as the threat of on-line predators increases.
FROM CNN: It's been a big question for Facebook. Among 600 million users how do you keep the youngest safe? We have talked to parents about some of the key issues that they have, like should I be friends with my kid on Facebook? Should I require their password? How should talk to them about Facebook? So Tuesday the site rolled out a revamped family safety center, where parents can visit for tools and tips on safety and privacy, even if they don't have a profile of their own.
There's also a special section aimed at teachers, and Facebook says a downloadable guide to Facebook in the classroom is on the way as well. One internet safety expert says it shows a virtual community evolving and responding to real-world demands. When you create a platform where people come and they interact with each other, you are actually creating a real life community like a town, or a city.
That includes more education, and more policing. The new features include an expansion of the site's social reporting tool, which will now allow users to flag offensive or inappropriate content on profiles, pages and in groups, not just to the site, but to a friend within their Facebook network as well.
Regardless of privacy and protection policies by Facebook and other social networking sites, it's parental involvement that can be most crucial. Parents are the first line of defense when it comes to protecting their children and their teenagers.