Facebook Lowers Age Rule to Allow Teenagers to Post Publicly

Starting Wednesday, October 23, 2013, teenage Facebook users between the ages of 13 and 17 will be allowed to post publicly. For the first time, teenagers will have the option to share all of their Facebook activities, including posts, photos, updates, and comments with any and all users on Facebook. “Teenagers will also be able to turn on the Follow feature for their profiles, which would allow anyone they're not friends with to see their public posts in the main news feed” (Kelly).

Facebook is hoping the change in privacy setting will help Facebook compete with other forms of social media that do not restrict teens, such as Twitter and Tumbler. Facebook wrote in a blog post, the reason for the change is, “this update now gives them (teenagers) the choice to share more broadly, just like on other social media services." When Facebook was first launched in February of 2004, it was originally intended for college students, but then quickly spread to the general public. Since Facebook’s debut 9 years ago, it has been a struggle to remain the #1 social media site, especially after it was taken over by parents, grandparents, and advertisers. “Even as it expands to all ages, the company has to work to hang on to the coveted teen demographic” (Kelly). Today, 94% of teenagers using social media have a Facebook account (Kelly). 

Also, having public data on teenagers will help Facebook appeal to advertisers.  

There are loopholes to the new Facebook privacy setting for teens which may put parents at ease. Teenagers who wish to share their posts and such on Facebook publicly must manually change the audience setting. Once they change their sharing settings, a pop-up explains that the post will be visible to the public. Also, if a user 18+ shares a post publicly, the audience setting will remain on public for the user's next post. However, for teens, a second reminder message will pop up if they choose to post publicly the next time around.

 

Although it appears to be a win, win for both Facebook and their underage users, I believe this is not a good move on Facebook’s part. I understand they want to stay competitive, and just like any other business, make money, but this could open Pandora’s Box. I do not believe Facebook has taken into account the negative effects this new privacy settings for teenagers could do; in my opinion it will lead to more harm than good.

 

These new Facebook privacy laws could be detrimental to teenagers; parents need to take precautionary measures and monitor what their children are saying and doing on the internet. It is likely that cyber bullying, an increasing epidemic in America’s modern society already, will become more common. Also, it will be easier for pedophiles to stalk young children. Lives could be at stake with these new privacy settings for teenagers.

In today’s modern society, children are so eager to grow-up and act like adults, but I think it is imperative for kids to be kids and enjoy their childhoods without engaging in adult behavior. I do not like Facebook’s new privacy laws and I personally feel kids under 18 have no business on social media as it is. Facebook is a global platform and while the internet can be a resourceful tool for children, it can also be dangerous if not used correctly. Although I believe it is not Facebook’s or the Government’s responsibility to monitor young children’s internet use, I do believe Facebook and other forms of social media should follow a basic ethical code. 

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