Facebook is an addictive social networking website. As a result, many (including children) want to create account on Facebook to join the action. By default, Facebook requires its users to be at least 13 years old to able to create an account. Did your child provide wrong age information and created a Facebook account?
Questions of concerned Parents
In such situation, there are lot questions for parents to able to deal with Facebook account created (and used) by their child. This may include: Can I access my child’s Facebook account, Can I delete Facebook account created by my child, Can I view which Facebook users my child is interacting.
While there is no definite answer to such concerns, following alternatives should able to satisfy needs of majority of parents in this regard.
Deal with Facebook account created by child
1. Talk to your child and make him / her understand “you are too young to use Facebook’” Guide your child to delete the Facebook account. You can always show the positive side “you can use Facebook when 13yrs or older”.
2. If above does not work, you can block Facebook.com website on his / her computer. Checkout easy to use block specific website method to disable opening of Facebook.com on Windows computer.
3. If convincing does not work, you can report your child’s Facebook account for deletion. Use this form to report under-age user. Facebook team will delete reported account.
Besides above there is last resort to use Child Data Request form. You will be required to submit a notarized statement declaring your rights as a parent or guardian immediately upon using this form.
hi , my brother do terribble things on face and other websites . he and his friend send bad pictures and i mean sooooo bad and we cant make him stop we talked to him and everything but he doesnt listen . i became scared to live with him under one roof ;( iam not good at computer as he . he is so clever in computer stuff … plz help me what to do i beg you . thx
100% agree with the parents that have commented here. Facebook is a predators paradise. Kids have a 1000 ‘friends’ and if parents try to check on what’s going on they get treated like sc*m. I hope Zuckerberg rots in hell.
Well, I am now trying to block my 14 year old son from using Facebook. He is now “chatting” with kids and making plans to sneak out in the middle of the night and do things that he is not allowed to do. I will not buy him a cell phone for this reason. I am necessarily a control freak, but he repeatedly has given me reasons to not trust him and he continues to hang out with inappropriate people who do bad things and he continues to make bad decisions.
And my mom thought she had it bad when I was a kids. How do we keep up with them. I deleted my sons Facebook. Told the school not to let him near a computer, but all his buddies have cell phones. And he makes the worse decisions a child can make. My mom only thought she had it bad!!!! We have to do the. Best we can to watch them. Too many dangers out there.
Danfoy, if you think that every child who has access to a website is somehow both mature enough and able enough to use it wisely (how do you as a stranger make that assumption?) and entitled to unrestricted access (that I hope is still left up to a parent to choose!), you still have a lot to learn about the real world. Grow up yourself. Maybe you were never grounded, never had pocket money stopped and never had to do a tap round the house for your parents, but the law says I am responsible for my kids’ behaviour till they are of age and that includes online behaviour. So, do you want to be held responsible instead? Didn’t think so.
The fact that this article exists is a sad indicator of how paranoid about and out of touch with the modern world many otherwise well-balanced and well-meaning parents can be. Your child is mature enough to want to communicate and interact with people outside their tiny, tiny sphere of physical access (perhaps in different cities or countries), and your reaction is to lock down any access to the site and instruct facebook to delete their account? What an excellent lesson you are teaching them about personal responsibility and citizenship. The site briefly addresses legitimate questions, such as sharing access with the child, or monitoring who the child is interacting with, but then suggests that the only alternative to ‘deal’ with your child’s natural curiosity and social development is complete lockdown. Many parents will no doubt take this as sound advice. How lazy and irresponsible of you.
How close minded the comment that danfoy has stated by automatically assuming that parents are not aware of their child’s activities and therefore calling the parents “lazy and irresponsible.” My niece secretly did both Facebook and Myspace. She is only 13 years and yet is posing as 18 years at a friend’s house. Thanks to Facebook, she was given the avenue to runaway. When is Facebook going to be responsible themselves and require a way to verify ages? Don’t assume that Facebook is safe to teach values. Both Facebook and Myspace should be monitored and be held accountable for their social networking. Most definitely, the age should be raised to 18 years or more with verifiable means such as a driver’s license or credit card. This article was excellent in helping a distraught parent.
I strongly agree that children should be 18. Facebook should be held responsible for the violence and threats as well as other bad they teach our children. Parents need a way to block and delete their children’s accounts if they are minors (under 18). Deleting it from our home computers just does not cut it in this world today. I am in desperate need to know how I can block or delete my child’s account. If there is anyone out there that can help… pleeease do.
Obviously Danfoy, you are not a parent. And if you are a parent – Lord help us all. This irresponsible mom did daily checks on my daughter’s networking sites. Also, parental controls are active on my daughter’s laptop and the home computer. She is well over the age of 13 – but still a minor. Computers and cell phones are not permitted in her room – all networking is done in the family oriented rooms of our home. With all safety guards in place, my daughter still managed to put her safety in dangeous internet world of “networking”. Involving a man two states away. This man showed himself as a teenager, complete with photos of family and school. Even a background search revealed that this internet friend – was indeed real. My fear for my daughter’s safety led me to the local police department. After a three month investigation – my “irresponsibility” put a pedofile in custody. My daughter was the victom on his hit list. So your immature comments are completely unfounded. Perhaps, Lord forbid, you become a parent of a teenage daughter who finds herself in the custody of a pedofile. Where you cannot find her after months – years . . . then will you decide you are “irresponsible”?
…said the pedophile.
You are obviously not a parent. When you finally grow up and have your own children, let me know what I should do about kids (12 & 14 year olds) that spend too much time on facebook or texting. They can’t find time to keep grades up or help around the house, but they know everyone in grade 7′s relationship status!
I am paying for these privileges and I expect some responsibility in return-or they lose it! I took my older son’s XBOX for poor grades. I am not a control freak, just a responsible caring parent. Facebook, XBOX and texting is not a human right. There are other healthier ways for kids to socialize with friends.