Young People and Social Networking

Are you a face on Facebook?  Do you get all a-flutter on Twitter?  What about your children?  Do you know if they have a profile on one of the big social networking sites? 

Social Networking sites can be fun and are an easy way to stay in touch with friends and family, but what can you do to keep them safe.

Did you know that all Social Networking sites have a minimum age you must be to have a profile.  This is down to the fact that most of them are based in America and there is a law there pertaining to the collection of children's personal data.  Even though here in the UK there is no such law anyone who lies about their age in order to open an account are breaking the terms and conditions of that site and might find their account shut down.  Below are a few of the more well known Social Networking sites with their minimum age requirement.

Facebook   13         http://www.facebook.com/safety/

Beebo        13         http://www.bebo.com/TermsOfUse2.jsp

Twitter        13         http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=misc.terms

Friendster    16         http://www.friendster.com/info/tos.php

MySpace      13         http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=misc.terms

Xanga         13         http://help.xanga.com/about/termsofuse.htm

If your child does have a profile you should ask them if they would show it to you.  You should discuss with them about making their profiles private which then only allows people added as their friends to view them.

Next you should discuss with them the importance of not having personal information on their profile.  Though there is space to display this information (school, email address, etc) it is not mandatory so it is best to leave it blank.

Social network has gotten a lot of bad press recently down to Cyber-bullying.  Ensure your child knows they can speak to you if someone starts bullying them on line.  They can block this person from writing things on their wall or even viewing your child profile anymore.

ChildNet International has recently re-launched their KidSMART website.  It is aimed at children over 12 and offers information and advice about using the internet and other media devices.  Why don't you view this site together with your child so that you know that they have been made aware of the dangers out there?  Also teach your child to be SMART.

• SAFE - Staying safe involves being careful and not giving out your name, address, mobile phone no., school name or password to people online.
• MEETING someone you have contacted in cyberspace can be dangerous. Only do so with your parent's/carer's permission, and then when they can be present.
• ACCEPTING e-mails or opening files from people you don't really know or trust can get you into trouble - they may contain viruses or nasty messages.
• RELIABLE - Someone online maybe lying about who they are, and information you find on the Internet may not be reliable.
• TELL your parent or carer if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried.

Lastly if you don't have a profile on one of these sites why not set one up so you can see what the fuss is all about.  The more you know about how the various sites work the easier it is for you to help keep your child safe.