Facebook For Parents: Should We Make Friends Online With Our Children?
Facebook is one of the most popular social sites today, I should say. And now, there is a site called Facebook for Parents. Site owners BJ Fogg and Linda Fogg Philips are offering a free four-part class for parents to learn more about Facebook. Parents with children under 18 years old and who also have an account at Facebook are being invited to receive their newsletters for free.
Recently, New York Times author Lisa Belkin shares the five-step process on how to join Facebook for Parents and how parents can make friends with their children; as well as to check the profile of their friends. You can also find the same steps on Facebook for Parents. But before you make a decision, let’s talk about our children’s privacy and safety.
As a parent, I believe that we still have a full control over our children until they reach 18. This includes knowing where they go and what they are doing. They should also share with us their daily activities in school, although they really do not need to share every detail. But then, we should also make sure that they are not being influenced by the bad elements of our society.
But more importantly, we should also have time to listen to their problems and help them in the best way we can. And yes, we should be friends with our children. Friends trust each other and also share some secrets to each other. On the other hand, we should allow some space for them to meet new friends. And now that social sites like Facebook are fast rising, our children can use them to win more friends.
Now back to the main question – should we make friends online with our children? Should we also meet their online friends, just like we are doing offline? Can we call this invasion of privacy? Will our children be safer from online sex predators if we will check the profile of their friends? But I think here is a more relevant question – should we allow our children to make friends online? Yes, I think this is a better question.
At present, the number of teenagers who are members of these social sites are increasing. In fact, I am sure that some of them don’t tell their parents about this. But apparently, Facebook is one social site where everybody is open to everybody, which means there are a lot questions about privacy. This follows that our children are not really safe, even if we will check their friends. In fact, a lot of people are saying they hate Facebook.
Therefore, I think that Facebook for Parents cannot help a lot. Not unless Facebook itself will do some necessary actions.
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Hey, nice post. I really don’t think that people should be that careful about their children, as they’ll lose their chance to actually making friends with them with their over protectiveness, in order to feel safe and have a good night sleep. Anywho… nice post
First, good parents are not meant to be their children’s friends. Parents should be parents; friends should be friends. That is why we call them parents… and not friends.
Second, any activity whether online or not, there will be bad people AND there will be wonderful people; whether online chat, Facebook, outside in the store, in your neighborhood or even at the church. The world has many bad people AND good people!!
Online has become a society in itself. Checking profiles of your kids online friends will not prevent anything. BUT randomly monitoring what goes in and out of their Facebook or Online chat or email might.
Facebook is not the problem. It is a tool. But just like any other tool it can be use in a great way or it can be use in a worse way. Preventing your children to use a tool will not make them stop using/playing with that tool, it will just tempt them to use the tool behind your back. And if that tool is a great tool, your kid might even hate you for disallowing them to use that tool.
As parents, we are responsible for our kids. We may not always be able to control what they see or hear, BUT if we give them the time & effort to guide them, they will become smart enough to know what is good and what is bad.
Thanks for a good post. -kk
Hi KK,
I think friendship is a broad definition, which is why I gave emphasis on the aspect of trust and share a couple of secrets. But I agree with your comment about the danger in any place where our children will be. In fact, this is the reason why I made this post – not to avoid but Facebook but to make a bit safe for your children.
Thanks for consistently being here.
If my parents were still alive – and let’s stretch this further – and they happened to like joining facebook, I’d find it ridiculous for them to friend me or vice versa. I imagine my father – the more outgoing type – would take to it like a duck to water. I’d recommend my father to take up blogging instead and create his own community around it.
Of course, I’m an adult. And your post is angled towards parents’ concern for their kids’ online security. Taken in this light, I will not be surprised if lots of kids find this an encroachment on their privacy and further fuels trust issues between parents and kids.
It’s best parents foster a more open, harmonious relationship with their kids at home. Through shared activities, talks, etc. And if there be problems – solve it at home through dialogue.
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hi sir,
Nice article but sometimes mas gusto pa ng mga kids na di involve ang parent sa kanilang e-circle. Sana maging open minded then ang mga parents sa new age information. but they have to be vigilant sa mga kids friend. have a nice day!
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Parents should never friend their children. There are certain parts of their lives that you just don’t want to know about.
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When I started using facebook I wa a bit skeptical, but now I have added almost any family member that I have on facebook including all relatives. It’s kind of great, keeps you connected!
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Facebook has always been a bridge from all ages to friends, relative, family and love ones. If there is a Facebook for parents what is it for? To spy their children? Actually on facebook you can even make your own clan account on it to get in touch with some relatives that you don’t know or you’ve been related with them.