According to recent polls, over 7.5 million American kids are under age 13 have Facebook pages, and over five million are under age ten. The New York Times reported in March of this year that 3.6 million of Facebook's 153 million monthly visitors in the U.S. are under 12.
In a recent statement by Facebook:
"Recent reports have highlighted just how difficult it is to implement age restrictions on the Internet and that there is no single solution to ensuring younger children don't circumvent a system or lie about their age," the Facebook press release said in a written statement. "We appreciate the attention that these reports and other experts are giving this matter and believe this will provide an opportunity for parents, teachers, safety advocates and Internet services to focus on this area, with the ultimate goal of keeping young people of all ages safe online."
Over the past year, Consumer Reports said more than five million online households in the U.S. have been subjected to some kind of Internet abuse, such as virus infections and identity theft, via Facebook. About one million children who went on Facebook were exposed to bullying, the survey found. One million is too much. Is it Facebook's fault, or our lack of imagination in finding and using alternative sites for our youth to safely learn to navigate the inevitable waters of social networking? Read more...
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