How Young is Too Young for Social Networking?

Parents have to be computer literate in this day in age to understand the dangers of inappropriate content and sites to illegal activity online.  Facebook monitoring should also be a required parenting skill.

Kids as young as 8 and 10 years old are now showing up on Facebook to chat, share and socialize with their friends. As we see this happen more and more, we wonder, at what age is a child too young for Facebook? Obviously this is up to you as a parent but I suggest you proceed with caution.

Be aware of the risks involved in allowing your children to be active on social networking sites.

1. Pedophiles
2. Cyber Stalkers
3. Cyber Bullying
4. Identity Theft
5. Third Party Apps
6. Your child's online footprint and reputation

Legally, Facebook has a minimum age of 13 years old.  Children with unsupervised access often sign up and falsify their age, often to the point of stating they are, for example, a 19 year old adult. This can create a serious risk to your child.


Facebook actually has different privacy settings for minors. They state that minors have a "slightly different' experience. They do not have public search listings created for minors when they sign up for Facebook, meaning their accounts cannot be found on general search engines outside of Facebook. Although there are some provisions for minors, it cannot protect them from all the dangers that are found online and through social networks.

As parents, we have the obligation of monitoring our child's Facebook page, being aware of their online activities and if they are lying about their age online. Take steps to protect them with Facebook monitoring software or Facebook spy software such as NetNanny, Safety Web,  or Web Blocker to totally restrict social networking sites.  You also have the option to block websites through Windows Vista and Windows 7.