There seems to be two categories of parents on Facebook, this letter will address the OverProtective ones.
Dear Over-Protective Parents,
Your child has moved into adolescence and you have finally decided to allow them to have a Facebook, one condition. Their profile picture can't be of themselves and their name on Facebook cant be their own. Okay this seems fair enough at face value, you don't want sex offenders knowing your child's name or face. But Facebook doesn't exactly advertise your child to sex offenders, if your child is under 18 no-one who is not a member of Facebook can see your child's profile and no member can see any detail about your child other than their name and image if they are a member. Why would that need to be a secret, walking down the street a friend of your child's could scream out their full name, and their face is visible also. School newsletters that are available for any member of the public to download (depending on school policy) often have photos and names, as well as the name of the school and sometimes even the year level. The real world is full of ways that the information that you try to keep private on Facebook, can easily be obtained. A friend of a friend on Facebook could even share photos and the full name of a user hiding under an alias. That brings me to the main point, Facebook friends. Do you trust your child to not scream out there address and phone number to strangers, did you not teach them stranger danger? Well the Internet is the same, teach them to not add strangers or people they don't trust. Teach them to not say anything on Facebook that they wouldn't want people to see in the real world, and teach them like you taught them in real life not to bully or be cruel to others (although Facebook is a private space, but like a whispered conversation in public there is always a chance someone can overhear). Learn about Facebook yourself, and teach your child to be responsible because ultimately they will grow old enough to make their own rules, and if they were just given a blanket rule and not taught judgment, they will ultimately be at more risk.
