It
is no shock that Facebook has been ridiculed about its privacy policy. Facebook
has been scrutinized by many users, businesses, court cases, and now parents of
teens sharing too much information on Facebook. Teenagers, ages thirteen to
seventeen, were only allowed to share videos, pictures, and status updates with
their friends or friends of friends. This age group was not allowed to host a
public account according to Facebook’s Privacy Policy. An announcement was made
on October 16, 2013 that these teenagers are now able to hold a public user
account.
An
analyst with ZK Research, Zeus Kerravala, seems to think that Facebook’s move
is all about advertising. Kerravala stated, “When Facebook is allowing more
people to see teenagers’ information, they’re also allowing advertisers to see
more info. Marketers can get better knowledge of what is hot with teens. Teens
also tend to be very loud and public in what they want to buy.”
There
is a big debate on whether Facebook should have made this change to its Privacy
Policy. Many think that teenagers of this age should be treated no different,
after all anyone can lie about their age when signing up for an account. Others
say this age level is too young to be sharing their information with the world.
At some point isn’t it the responsibility of these teens parents or guardians
to educate their teens on privacy and safety on the Internet?
What do you
think? Do you think Facebook made a bad decision by allowing teen’s public
access?
Gaudin,
Sharon. "Facebook Loosens Its Rules on Teen Privacy." Computerworld.
N.p., 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Oct.2013.
<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9243270/Facebook_loosens_its_rules_on_teen_privacy_?source=rss_latest_content>.
I feel like if teens want to be online they will make a way to make it happen. Also I feel like that just goes into parenting etc....But i don't see why someone 13 needs a Facebook !!! Originally I thought FB was for people to connect who went to college or something like that. BUt I think it might be a bad idea ..for safety etc. FB is to open.
ReplyDeleteI feel about the same way you do on this situation. If teens want to be online they will find a way to do it. Eventually it is up to the parents and guardians to advise them on what is and isn't allowed.
DeleteI'm not sure this is a good idea but like you said all they need to do is lie about their age. I agree that a thirteen year old really doesn't need a Facebook, these kids are young and can be especially irresponsible with what they post and it could be a danger to them with their accounts going public so I really don't think this is a good idea and hopefully they will change their mind on this decision. I think Facebook gets way too personal asking what city I live in and with teenagers they probably wouldn't think twice about putting all this personal information out there and with their accounts being public it just makes them easy targets.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, at that age a lot of teens are ignorant and uninformed. I think a big responsibility here goes on the parent and or guardian.
DeleteI find it concerning how much Facebook "knows"--from recognizing your face, to knowing where you are located. I am sure a lot of our other devices do the same type of tracking, but it still makes me uncomfortable. Although Facebook has many advantages, there are some major draw-backs that should not be ignored if you own an account. For young teens to have the freedom to post whatever they want to the whole world can be very dangerous. They are unprotected and not always discerning in the decisions that they make (the same goes for adults, too, unfortunately). I agree--you cannot control whether they can or cannot have permission to own an account, and I am sure Facebook is not the only thing that teens have access to that are much worse. But I believe it would be wiser if Facebook somehow had safety parameters--not only for teens, but for all users. I am not sure what that would look like though. After all, does Facebook even share the same concerns we have? Is there desire to make sure all of their users are safe and properly using their accounts?....probably not. All too often, money will be held higher than the safety/security of others.
ReplyDeleteExactly, it all ends up coming down to the money. If safety of the user was their number one priority then no, this probably would not be allowed.
DeleteI have such strong opinions about this age group being so young and being so public already. If they have a Facebook, nothing on their page or anything will be deleted from here on out. They're so young to have already started putting themselves out there. In my opinion, Facebook giving this age group public access is a disaster waiting to happen, if it hasn't already. I'm sure it already has. Now we need to start having a privacy computer class. These kids need to know what and what not to put out on the internet. When my baby sister started to get a Facebook, she didn't realize that when you put in your house address that it would actually show up on your information. I quickly informed her about all the things that she should NOT be putting up there. This age group doesn't realize the damage they are doing to themselves. With their pages being public, they put all the personal information on there and it lets anyone and everyone know where they live or their phone number. It's just so scary to me. I hope in the future, with the way technology is advancing so much, that they will have Internet Privacy classes, or something to do with social media.
ReplyDeleteWith the way things are going in this world, it would seem like a great idea to have such a class to teach young people. At that age you do not realize the repercussions of putting out all that information on the internet and they need to be taught on the situation.
DeleteI think that as long as teens are educated on internet safety and that their parents know they have a facebook then sure why not! I don't think facebook made the wrong decision allowing them to have a public account though. Good post!
ReplyDeleteAs long as teens are educated and cautious of the realities of posting their information on the internet then there is no problem. The problem is most teens don't think about the possible consequences of posting publically where anyone can see.
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ReplyDeleteI don't know that by keeping a teens Facebook private would really deter any of the concerns expressed above. All of these dangers lurk off line as well in my opinion. It's no different than giving your 13 year old a cell phone and he/she giving out personal information that way. The real issue could be parenting but then again it could just be that there are malicious criminals out there. As a parent you should be aware of everything your child is involved in both on and off line.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Facebook shouldn't have gone with this approach simply because teenagers do a lot of dumb things that they obviously regret later on in life. I think most teenagers want the most friends they can get on Facebook and will accept anyone. When the blog mentioned that only friends and friends of friends were able to see someones information, that doesn't mean that you know your friends friends. Privacy and protection of minors is a problem, but as long as you have an email address you can make a profile. There is no parent signature required and no one can verify your real age on there. I agree with many of the previous comments that it ultimately has to start with the parents and how much they can access Facebook. I remember when I was younger I was not allowed to be on the computer after a certain hour or for an extended period of time. I also didn't have a phone with the capability to access Facebook, which is so easy to do now. Its not Facebook's responsibility to protect minors and what information they share, its the parents and the minor him/herself to make sure they know what they are getting into.
ReplyDeleteExactly, Jennifer. To your point, these teenagers who really want to access Facebook can simply lie about their age. Quite frankly, there are some adults who have no reason to be on Facebook either.
DeleteI think it was a mistake for Facebook to begin allowing teenagers to have public Facebook accounts. This opens the door for predators to easily obtain private information about minors. Even the best educated teenagers tend to be more naive and will often freely share private information online. With all of the technological advances of today I think it is very difficult for parents to monitor what their children are or aren't doing online. Many teenagers even have multiple Facebook accounts to further elude their parents. I believe Facebook should have continued keeping our children safe. But of course, the almighty dollar prevailed in the end. Facebook would rather expose teenagers' accounts so they can make money off of them rather than take appropriate measure to keep them safe.
ReplyDeleteRemember when you had to have a university email address to open a facebook account? I think allowing teens and young people access to open an account can only lead to issues. I know you can make the argument about them being informed or educated on what they should or shouldn't do but kids are going to be kids and are undoubtedly going to get into thing or talk to people that they maybe shouldn't.
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