Online activity

scwazrh

First off , apologies if this has been discussed before but I couldn't find it.

My daughter is 9 and is mad to get a phone and join facebook for the simple reason that " all her friends are on it "!!I really don't think that Facebook or twitter are suitable for anyone under 18 never mind 9 yr olds but a lot of parents seem to be letting their kids on them and when she starts on about getting a phone I really don't see the purpose of her having one,she has an android tablet and an iPod ,plus she uses our laptops, iPads and Pc so it's not that I'm living in the stone age.


What do you all think?What age should kids get a phone and at what age are social networks suitable?

Please Kill Me

I wouldn't allow it TBH! Take away the fact that I can't stand FB anyway, it's certainly no place for a child as far as I'm concerned. I have a ten year old son who is similar in that he wants a phone and laptop and all these other gadgets his friends have. He mentioned FB one day and I told him under no circumstances could he join. I just think you would be VERY foolish to give in! If her friends were drinking, would she feel the need to? If her friends were getting piercings, would she want to? Would you let her do either of these? Same thing. No, no, no.

Ciaranpm

scwazrh wrote: »

First off , apologies if this has been discussed before but I couldn't find it.

My daughter is 9 and is mad to get a phone and join facebook for the simple reason that " all her friends are on it "!!I really don't think that Facebook or twitter are suitable for anyone under 18 never mind 9 yr olds but a lot of parents seem to be letting their kids on them and when she starts on about getting a phone I really don't see the purpose of her having one,she has an android tablet and an iPod ,plus she uses our laptops, iPads and Pc so it's not that I'm living in the stone age.


What do you all think?What age should kids get a phone and at what age are social networks suitable?

Facebook t and c's say the all members must be over 13 not sure what they do if they find out members are younger but it may be a tool you can use against letting your daughter join the site.

Moonbeam

I have 2 opinions on this..

I think that the safest thing to do is that you set up a facebook account for her using your e-mail address and you set the password so then she has one like her friends but it is completely under your control.
I think at 9 she is too young for a phone unless she goes out on her own and even then I would give her a fire fly or the most archaic old phone that you can find.
I also think that it is too young to have her own android tablet too though:)

lip

9 is way too young in my opinion for a phone and joining social networking sites. My eldest,now 15,has lost so many phones,I was silly enough to buy them for him,but have learned from my mistakes. He never used the phones really until this year,and now he minds it.
Re fb,I let him join when he started secondary school,aged 13,and did what moonbeam suggested. I signed him up and I used my email address. I still know his password (but have not snooped,yet)and I am friends with him so I can keep an eye on it. Its a shame,kids are expected to grow up way too quick,especially girls.

implausible

If she has an android tablet, surely she can join with or without your permission? I know Facebook is 13+ but it's common for under 13s to be on it. If she says ALL her friends are on it, check this out as girls have been known to exaggerate in the past!!!! I would try holding her off another while and if/when she does join facebook, have some ground rules e.g. your email a/c and only accessing it in a room where you can see.

As for the phone, you should check her school's policy as this will limit use and she'll have no need for a fancy one because of the tablet.

What class is she in? Has she a birthday/occasion coming up that you can use to delay/promise a phone or joining facebook

littlebug

My daughter is 9 and goes on about EVERYONE in her class having a phone and as it turns out only 3 /9 have them. Even if they did all have a phone she wouldnt get one as she doesn't need one. I'll consider it when she goes to secondary school.

As for facebook, same as above. I have nothing in particular facebook itself as long as privacy settings and common sense are used but not til age 13/14 at least.

byhookorbycrook

9 is far too young to be able to deal with online social sites. If a nasty comment is passed ,it has a huge impact on a child that young. "All of my friends" never held any water in our house. My mam used to say "perhaps, but you won't be doing it!"

The Princess Bride

Would definitely advise against FB until 13-apart from the fact it's for over13s, I really don't feel a child as young as 9,10,11 has the maturity to understand the way some people use/misuse it.
Am on it myself,quite simply to keep a check on my teenagers who just love having mom as a friend:o
I get weekly friend requests from their friends, which just shows you how innocent some children really are.

As for laptops etc.... ours (14 16) have use of ours from time to time- to be honest ,if let,they'd probably be on it 24/7, but then when would they get time for homework etc...?
Re: mobiles- again ,it's up to individual parents.I think aged 12 should be time enough,but if you've a busy schedule with sport,after school activites etc...it might be a help rather than a hinderance.
Our 3 each have one,the youngest (12),doesn't even use it really.
But rules are rules with us-not in bedrooms at night,and they're turned off during homework.
It's hard to parent sometimes,with the peer pressure and media pressure,
but all we can do is our best.

cynder

My daughter has been on facebook for i dont know how long about 2 years, she has just turned 12, first it was just to play the games farmville and such, now at 12 she is using it more and more.

She goes horse riding so makes up videos to post up of her and her friends jumping, most of her friends are on facebook. I have her password and i check all of her private chats. This was the condition that we set for her having a facebook account.

To be honest most of it is school stuff or equestrian stuff. Boys have been mentioned now and then (all of whom i know). Her account privacy is the higest it can be, she did get bullied by her 2 best friends over christmas but because i had access to her chats i was able to contact the girls parents and show them what their kids were writing, she got called a slut, lesbian, fat ugly bitch and so on. Must say the other girls parents handled it really well and so did the equestrain centre (as its from the equestrian centre that all the girls know each other) I also reported the bulling to facebook.

All is sorted now with the bulling but the 2 of the 3 girls are no longer allowed to be her facebook friends (until they have earned my trust), i mean these girls would have sleepovers and i knew their parents. The one girls dad put it down to jealousy / green eyed monster.

facebook has its pros and cons, you have to keep an eye on it. My daughter would have all her aunts and uncles as friends as i am and her dad is her friend, we see what she writes on her wall and see what others write on her wall.

She also had a phone since she was 7 or 8 but didnt take any real notice of it until march last year when she got an HTC Wildfire and she would use that a good bit, she has also taken to skype (so she doesnt have to pay for phone calls) and does video conferencing with her friends (one who lives in canada) we got her a laptop for xmas so this is done in her room but with the door open. She is not allowed to close the door if she is using the laptop. She uses her laptop for skype calls everynight. Checks her facebook every morning, afternoon and evening. Makes videos for friends and edits photos for friends too.