Children less than thirteen years of age are not supposed to have a Facebook account, but so many of them do have one that, according to rumour, the rules might be changed. However Facebook has now denied this. There are many websites that provide online games for kids along with social networking for younger children, but Facebook does not intend to be one of them.
The rumour that Facebook would open its sites to children under thirteen began in the Sunday Times which reported that Simon Milner who is in charge of Facebook policy in the UK stated that they were planning to lift the ban though the plans were not fully developed.
Now Facebook is saying no plans exist at all for allowing children under the age of 13 to create a Facebook profile. Facebook does take the online safety of younger children very seriously, and they do wish to work with other providers to work towards creating a safer online environment for minors, but that this does not equate to letting them join Facebook.
There must be some confusion within the organisation, for quite recently Mark Zuckerberg, the multi-billionaire founder and CEO of Facebook, strongly argued for allowing younger children to use it. He made these arguments at a meeting about innovation and teaching in schools just twelve months ago. He argues that the educational benefits for minors were so important that they should be allowed to have Facebook accounts.
Perhaps he has come under pressure to change his mind, particularly after some politicians suggested that it would be irresponsible of Facebook to allow this, and that it was irresponsible to even suggest the possibility that it might happen. The MP who made the statement indicated that in her opinion with adequate parental supervision it might be OK for children to network socially, they could be placed in uncomfortable situations.
There is a disparity between the law in the USA and in the UK. In the USA the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act makes it illegal for a provider to allow a child less than 13 to join a social networking site; however there are no similar restrictions in the UK, though of course the rules of the website forbid it. In Spain the age limit is 14 years.
In compliance with legislation and its own rules, around 20,000 accounts a day that are opened by younger children are closed down. Naturally many children are able to open accounts by saying that they are older than they really are and there is evidence that they are being supported in doing so by their parents.
Fortunately in the UK there are many websites that do allow access for younger children for social networking along with kids games online , and provide a safe place for them to do so. The sites are well policed and provide guidelines for responsible parents on keeping their children safe online.