PUBLIC OPINION > Kids Under 13 Should Not Be on Facebook
SodaHead Living
2012/06/06 22:00:00
Though Facebook doesn't allow kids under the age of 13 to register on the site, surveys have shown that many of them sign up anyway. That's why Facebook is developing a way to let younger kids make a Facebook account through their parents' account. That way their parents can keep a close eye on it and even control certain elements of the site, such as who their kids are friends with, and youngsters won't have as much reason to set up their own. We wanted to know how the public feels about this.
Sorry, kids, but the public has spoken. Even with parent-monitored accounts, most people think kids under 13 should stay off Facebook. The primary fear is simple: Online predators. Chris Hansen can't put them all away, and though reports of children actually meeting online predators are very rare, one instance is one too many.
Teens Stand Up for Tots
Age was certainly a factor, but it didn't turn out exactly how we expected. Most age groups only showed about 18%-23% support for allowing kids on Facebook, but two groups voted differently. Teens were the most permissive, presumably because they're closest in age to the kids we're discussing. But the 35-44 group was also oddly permissive.
Women Don't Want Kids Online
Female voters were a little bit more concerned about allowing younger kids to have Facebook accounts. Women do tend to be the nurturing ones, and we could also point out here that, based on what we've seen from "To Catch a Predator," there aren't very many female online predators on the prowl.
Liberals Might Let Them
The political spectrum played out pretty much how we expected: Liberals are a little more lenient, while conservatives were a little more protective. Liberals embrace new technology and new ideas, while conservatives are hesitant to head in that direction. Both approaches are necessary to ensure a safe, civilized society.
If you'd like to vote on this question, dig deeper into the demographics, or engage in existing discussion about the topic, visit our poll about kids on Facebook. We'd love to hear from you!
Top Opinion
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aibohphobia 2012/06/06 23:01:05
+5I don't really think they should, because it's against Facebook's TOS. Also, most of the people that would be on it would say incredibly stupid crap, and there is already enough of that on facebook.
The suit, combining 21 cases of alleged privacy violations by the social networking giant, was filed on Friday in the Federal Court in San Jose, Emil Protalinski writes on ZDNet.com. In their consolidated complaint, the plaintiffs claim that Facebook used cookies to track them across the Internet.
And yet, where does the staggering sum of the lawsuit come from? Violation of the Federal Wiretap Act provides suggests compensation of US $100 per day per user for every case of violation, up to a maximum of US $10,000 per user. The accusations also fall under the Computer Fraud and Abuse act, the Stored Communications Act, as well as various California Statutes and California common law.
“This is not just a damages action, but a groundbreaking digital-privacy rights case that could have wide and significant legal and business implications,” said David Straite, a partner at Stewarts Law. The firm is one of the plaintiffs leading the claim.
Accusations that Facebook used cookies to track its users even after they log out are countless. However, all such claims have been turned down so far on th...
The suit, combining 21 cases of alleged privacy violations by the social networking giant, was filed on Friday in the Federal Court in San Jose, Emil Protalinski writes on ZDNet.com. In their consolidated complaint, the plaintiffs claim that Facebook used cookies to track them across the Internet.
And yet, where does the staggering sum of the lawsuit come from? Violation of the Federal Wiretap Act provides suggests compensation of US $100 per day per user for every case of violation, up to a maximum of US $10,000 per user. The accusations also fall under the Computer Fraud and Abuse act, the Stored Communications Act, as well as various California Statutes and California common law.
“This is not just a damages action, but a groundbreaking digital-privacy rights case that could have wide and significant legal and business implications,” said David Straite, a partner at Stewarts Law. The firm is one of the plaintiffs leading the claim.
Accusations that Facebook used cookies to track its users even after they log out are countless. However, all such claims have been turned down so far on the grounds that cookies are simply not legally considered to be wiretaps. Proving damage is also a challenge here.
In September, the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) in Ireland, where Facebook has its international headquarters, agreed to conduct a privacy audit of the network’s activities. Interestingly enough, and thankfully for Facebook, the three-month audit concluded that the company makes “innovative use of cookies to identify unusual or suspicious activity” on an account.
As for now, Facebook insists "this complaint is without merit" and prepares to "fight it vigorously" – PCWorld quotes Andrew Noyes, the network's manager of public policy communications.