What The Heck Are Your Kids Doing On Facebook?

Since computers are going to be a part of everyone’s lives if not already, it makes sense that children should not only be exposed to this technology, but become proficient and adept at it.

But it’s going beyond computer usage! We’re not just talking about switching your computer on, using a word processor and spreadsheet and saving files to a disk! That’s like learning your ABC’s only! The online world is becoming the new youth hangout, and indeed for all ages, so communicating online is the modern equivalent to socialising on the phone and even face to face. Holding your children back from being online-savvy is like preventing them from learning how to read and write!

When we (“Generation X”) were kids, we used to hang around the local pinball parlour or some equivalent to a coffee shop serving milkshakes, or perhaps the local shopping strip. Many of the older kids would simply chat on the phone.

But now, more and more kids these days are hanging out with friends around the world after school on Facebook, MySpace, Windows Live Messenger and other online social networking media sites. There are a neverending growth of online games where people can play casually and socialise, much like people do over a game of pool at the pub or a coffee in a coffee shop.

Problem is, many parents, for lack of computing confidence, fear this technology rather than embrace it. Sensationalised news and talk shows about victims of online child predators shadow threats of offline crimes. Parents have become increasingly paranoid and knee-jerk political reactions have brought misguided awareness, policies and inconsistent “police-ing” of something that’s “un-policeable”. Even the most popular online social networking application has a policy of a 13 year old minimum age restriction for creating an account (despite the fact that many people create accounts for their kids by using a fake age).

What parents and families should do is recognise the opportunity to not only connect with their children, but their peers as well with this marvellous technology. All our 4 children, aged from 6 to 14 have accounts with one of the most popular online applications. They go there to communicate with friends (who are also under-aged by the application's policy - but that's to protect themselves legally) and play games. Any thoughts and comments, participations in certain interest groups, photos they share, and associations with any and new friends are all documented for all friends to see.

The beauty of this is that as parents, we now can either participate in our child’s peer group, or watch unobtrusively from a close distance.

So take note paranoid parents, when your children grow up and hang out with their friends at the shopping malls and night clubs, you can’t be there to chaperone and watch over them! But whilst they’re young, and accept you as a Facebook friend like many families have done, you can monitor them at an arm’s length! You can see what friends they’re choosing, and what thoughts they’re sharing with their peer group! You can’t do that easily in the offline world! You can even be nosey with their friends if you’re that concerned!

Our family embraces online technology and we encourage all others to do so!