I have children. My children have needs. Apparently one of those needs is a Facebook account. Ok, they don’t need Facebook accounts, but some of them want accounts, and rather desperately. Don’t think it’s just the teenagers, either. Being under age hasn’t stopped my kids’ friends, who play popular games on the social network (can you say “Farmville”).
I’m not just letting my children use Facebook. I’m actively encouraging them. Below are the five reasons why I’m letting even my younger children use social media:
It’s the world they live in
My kids’ friends and schoolmates are already using social media. I don’t want my kids left out. I want them to understand the world of Facebook and Youtube, and be a part of it. This is their culture, whether I like it or not. Unless I expect my kids to isolate themselves and live a life with no or limited modern communication, they are going to be exposed to and participate in online social sites sooner or later.
Socal media is important for…socializing
Like it or not, my kids are growing up in an online world, a gaming world, a world of videos. My oldest child isn’t really very interested in using Facebook. He’s not keen on any social networks, rather looking down on them. (He’s the kind who will edit a Wikipedia page, though.)
Unfortunately for him, Facebook, texting, etc. have become ways that kids socialize. They are ways to informally chat with friends—and flirt. They are part of how friendships and relationships evolve these days. If he’s not on Facebook, and if he’s not texting, he’s missing an important communication venue for his age group. And that communication venue is becoming mainstream at younger and younger ages.
Social media is becoming necessary for careers
I was recently in between jobs, for almost five months. As a jobseeker in the new world of social media, I learned that:
- LinkedIn is critical
- Not having a Facebook account makes younger HR people wonder what you’re hiding
- Blogging and tweeting show you’re saavy and can mark you as an expert in your field
These days, you practically have to have a LinkedIn account to get a professional job. HR and recruiters check for an account and check your recommendations.
Your online presence and the quality of it affect your employment opportunities. While this may change, right now many potential employers search on your name or check your Facebook account. What appears can make or break your chances. Even if employers stop doing these searches for legal reasons, the online contacts you make and online circles you run in provide increasingly critical connections and opportunities for employment. Not to mention that employers are beginning to actively seek employees who have expertise in social media: who blog, video, tweet, etc. So being proficient at that may give your children another advantage in the job market.
As I blogged about previously, we’re now all our own image consultants. Knowing how to paint a good image is going to be an important skill for our children.
They need to learn how to use social media safely
While there’s a lot of upside to social media, there are plenty of downsides, as well. Pedophiles and stalkers are increasingly seeking victims online. The details that young people unwittingly provide on their pages about their interests, nicknames, locations, and even their schedule for the day can make them vulnerable.
Kids are bound to make mistakes online, and some of them can be costly. Teenagers have been sued or gone to jail for sexting. Kids say inappropriate things on their walls or blogs, or post videos or pictures that cast themselves in a bad light. These mistakes can haunt a young person for years. I want my kids to know how to use social media safely. That’s part of my job now, just as much as teaching them how to cross the street safely.
Now’s when I have influence
Given all of the above, one might still ask why I would let an elementary school kid use social networks. Why? Because now is when I have some influence. We all know that every year our child grows older, he or she moves further away from us. We have less influence. Peers have more. Right now, my younger children still hug me, still easily say “I love you,” still want to spend time with me, and still listen to my advice. A few years from now, they may do their best to ignore me.
When they are older, I can still set rules and monitor their accounts, but it will be harder to discuss their postings and those of their friends, harder to talk about the pros and cons. They’ll be less inclined to have those discussions with me, more skeptical with every passing year. I have a lot of influence over my younger children right now. It’s a good time to shape their impressions of how to use Facebook and other online media. I’d rather start now, while they are still eager to show me the new profile picture or album they’ve put up.
Those are five reasons why I’m letting my kids explore the world of social media. In an upcoming post, I’ll describe the goals I have for their use of Facebook, etc. and the rules I’ve imposed. In future posts, I’ll show you the privacy settings I’ve used to meet those goals.
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