Digital Smarts - Dealing with the Under Age 13 Rule on Social Media Sites

For parents of children in the 8 to 12 age range, the discussion about joining Facebook, Instagram or other social media sites has probably come up at some point.  Though the sites have clear rules about not allowing children under 13 to have accounts, younger children still want to sign up, and it makes it harder when their friends are allowed to have accounts. Most social media sites’ terms of service prohibit anyone younger than 13 to join because of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the federal law that puts tight controls on any site that collects information about those under 13. If they officially ban kids, they don't have to meet those requirements.

Experts also remind parents that overlooking the rule sends the message that it is okay to pick and choose which rules to follow. That message for some kids could translate into a slippery slope as they are developing their own moral compass. These days many parents are adopting what Steven Petrow wrote about recently on USA TODAY called the “training wheels “ approach. This graduated approach begins by having access to your tweens and teens login and password information, and being designated “friends” or “followers”. Parents can then loosen up their control as teens get older. Of course, the whole key to this policy is actually checking in from time to time to make sure your tween or teen has not changed the password without notifying you. You may also want to be sure you are the sole decision maker about privacy settings and remember to look at those periodically because they do change.