My 11 yr old daughter is asking for a facebook account, what is the normal age to allow them to join

Deanna - posted on 02/11/2013

has it ever occurred to anyone by letting kids under 13 years of age have facebook accounts you are teaching them to lie to get what they want. It clearly states users must be 13 so to get an account they must enter a birthdate. My children have learned to wait because it is wrong to lie especially about your age. Will you all help your children get fake Id's so they can drink as well?

Mady - posted on 01/06/2013

my son has been begging for one hes 11 i think he might want it
because everyone at school does if you check the account or be your childs
friend maybe yes

when you diactivate it it doesnt do anythink your friends can still see
and post stuff on your wall it keeps all of your stuff on the account

so maybe

Andre Naelly - posted on 12/17/2012

girl you the motha and you decide and if she doesnt listen, botton ground her.

Masallah - posted on 10/09/2012

I would say 15.. there are WAY TO MANY creeps out there!!!! and kids that age are WAY to gullible.

Morris - posted on 10/05/2012

You're not tripping! LOL! Personally I wouldn't allow fb period it's a complete waste of time unless you own a business.

Ariba - posted on 10/04/2012

i think facebook is a source of problem in over all wider context it has couple of disadvantages

Julie - posted on 08/13/2012

My 11 now 12 year old daughter moaned n moaned i gave in now she's no interest i think it depends on the mantality of your kid if u think she's responsible enough y not aslong as she lets u check it and put her privacy as just friends xx

Jeannine - posted on 08/11/2012

According to FB terms and conditions, you must be 13 years old. I have a 12 yr old who HAD an account, but when her friends started cussing and acting inappropriate, I warned her to clean it up, her friends list that is... She refused, and so now she doesn't have one... And she probabably won't get one when she turns 13...

Jacqueline H - posted on 08/10/2012

I guess i am from the old school, i believe children that age are to young. They learn to much now from TV . We parents that care are sometimes beat down by other parents who really don't care. I fully believe the bible verse that sayes( bring a child up in the way he or she should go and when they grow old they will come back). We are the parents and it is our responsibilty the bring our children up and protect them. Thankyou.

Jeannine - posted on 11/28/2011

According to FB terms n condition, you must be 13 yrs of age to sign up. Its obvious of that when the earliest date u can choose for yr of birth is 13 31$ n up...

Michelle - posted on 11/27/2011

In Australia (and so I am assuming it is the same age limit worldwide?) the earliest age you can have a Facebook account is 13. My daughter is 13 and I won't let her have a Facebook account. Thankfully she isn't that interested in having one anyway. She would rather talk to her friends face to face at school, rather than through the internet. Even though she has plenty of friends that use it. She has never been one to join whatever new is happening just because it's what everyone else is doing. She has never been a follower, so far thank goodness. At the moment I am encouraging her to use her social skills and talk to people face to face. And the art of phoning a friend has gone out the window with the internet. The internet and social mediums such as Facebook have its good and bad qualities. And really all I am doing is trying to protect my child from the bad/negative aspects of the internet. I'm not going to stop her when she is a few years older with a bit more maturity if she wants an account by then. But I intend on teaching her the do's and don't of how to behave on social media. What to talk about and what isn't a good idea. You don't share personal information about yourself, your family, where you live etc. It can be fun but it can also be a dangerous or upsetting form of media too.

Luvmia - posted on 11/24/2011

No you are not tripping. You are being a good mom by looking at the fact that you have to be cautious. My son is 12 and had a facebook page. Some problems came from it and I decided to delete it.

to find out the appropiate age, do a yahoo search or look at facebook's website and find out their age requirements. I hope this helps you.

Lynne - posted on 11/19/2011

I set up an account for my 9 year old only because she wanted to play farmville and yoville because she had seen ( and helped me with my crops) me play. I compromised. I set up an account with her grandmothers name and info - only let her have a few of her friends and choose a few of my chruch friends that play farmville to be her "friends" too. She can only chat with her kid friends and if my friends "chat" her she has to tell me. aslo, follow my rules or follow the rules of your DSi cause that will be the only games u will be playing if you dont :-)

Christine - posted on 06/02/2011

My 11 year old son had a Facebook page set up by his stepmother without my approval. At first I was upset by this for all the reasons many parents do not want their children on a social network. I managed to make sure that I checked his profile and settings. I found his stepmom wasn't as concerned with identity theft or stranger danger as I was so I needed to make changes. He and I discussed safety issues and he was fine using it for a while, but then I noticed some inappropriate conversations creeping up with his school friends. We have had some heart to heart conversations and after a few incidents, I actually banned him from using it until his 13th birthday. When that day arrives, he will gain access to his account, but I will still monitor it for safety reasons and to make sure he's making appropriate decisions and representing himself in a positive manner.

Corrine - posted on 03/29/2011

I'll be the first to admit I'm an overprotective mom. My ex set up a Facebook account for my girls (10 and 12 at the time) and a VERY bad person found them and wanted to be their friend. I flipped! I deleted their account. Now they are 12 and 14. My 14 year old has an account BUT I have control. I let her on to play games and chat with her friends. I have it set up so NO ONE can post on her wall, all messages she gets goes into one of my email accounts set up just for Facebook, I have the password, AND the biggest thing is it's NOT under her REAL name. Her ONLY friends are family and friends I know. I don't have to worry about anyone getting to her or saying things to her or about her that are inappropriate. I trust my daughter I just don't trust other people with my daughter.

Julie - posted on 03/01/2010

According to Facebook, users are required to be at least 13 years old. The only way they can check is when a user inputs their birthday. Having said that, anyone can lie about their age and set up an account. As a parent, I would be more concerned about my child lying about his age in order to get on something as unimportant as Facebook. I think it it could set a precedent for things to come.



I agree with you about keeping an eye on all web activities. My 11 year had to set up an e-mail account in 4th grade to participate in Google Docs for a school activity. I periodically go in and check his e-mail. Call it snooping, invasion of privacy, or whatever, but I'd rather try to keep an eye on things. As someone else pointed out, children have the maturity to filter sometimes. Good luck with your decision!

Melanie - posted on 02/28/2010

actually april if your career is tech support and so is your husbands you can see everything. ip address, sight names even thier coding if you so chose. but youre right that maybe most parents cant. so sit with them and watch. most of us need to spend more time with them anyway. mine are set up with 2 more of my email accts. i get a mssg everytime they do. and im there to see what they are doing. playing petville. where my sisters wont accept kids as friends in case a friend says something inappropriate my kids wont see it. of course there are ways to block that too. my hubby has friends that are only farmville friends. never met them and doesnt want them to know who we are or who our friends and family are and he has all that blocked. you just have to do the work. it does require some digging if you dont know what youre doing but its worth it in the long run. personally i think petville is fine and i get to verify the friends they have since its my email.

April - posted on 02/28/2010

I do not agree with them having a facebook account at such a young age because there are ways for these children to chat without their parents knowing. We may say that it is ok because we can see everything that they are doing but this is not true we cannot see everything that they are doing the most we can see is their posts and who they are friends with. My son asked for a facebook page and I told him not until he was atleast 13.

Melanie - posted on 02/27/2010

if you dont want to get her an account then tell her that they wont let her til shes 13 and thats the truth. my 10 year old is using one my accounts thats attached to my email so i can keep an eye on her and shes only allowed to play games like farmville. we play together.

Susan - posted on 02/26/2010

My 11 year old daughter has a facebook account - if you allow her to have one - just make sure you make everything private so that not even her picture is displayed until she adds people as friends. My rules for my daughter are that only family, and friends from school she can add - and before she accepts a friend request - she has to let me go to the persons page and look it over and make sure it is someone we know. I also have her password and can look at her page at anytime. I also monitor all pictures she posts and make sure that she posts nothing in appropriate. I hope this helps. Good luck and have a great day!!! :)

Marni - posted on 02/25/2010

Facebook says they legally have to be 13. Most of my friends let their kids on fb. I won't allow my almost 13 year old daughter have a fb account. There are too many inappropriate quizzes and I have heard too many stories where other kids use it as a way to "cyber" bully other kids. I feel fb is an adult forum, but it each parent's choice.

Missy - posted on 02/25/2010

I say there is a reason Facebook has the rule of "MUST BE 13yo". I have a 15yo son who is very responsible & an AWESOME kid involved in church. He has a Facebook account. On the other hand, I have a 12yo daughter who who looks 16 & is not yet allowed. She is a good kid & very intelligent but can be sneaky. She is also VERY gullable & naive. I DO NOT have time to stand over her shoulder on FB nor do I need invited trouble. I have been telling her for over a year that she could possibly join when she turns 13yo. So, you can bet that come October 2010 I will be "babysitting" her on FB!

Jennifer - posted on 02/25/2010

My daughter is 10 she has a facebook account, I keep and eye on her activity as well as her emails. I know who each person is before she can become friends with them. I have educated her about the dangers and I think so far she has made the right decisions..test it out with your daughter if you don't like it remove it

Lawanda - posted on 02/25/2010

my 11 yr old daughter wants one but i haven't let her get one because even though i can control who is on her she is still able to see other people pages and the things said on here is not for her.try letting her have a tagged page kids only and you can control her page its just like fb

Angela - posted on 02/25/2010

I do not think allowing a child to lie about his or her age to gain a facebook account is a good thing for any parent to do. It sends the wrong message to the child about honesty. That being said, since many do allow their children to lie to get an account, or lie for them to get an account, it is best for those young children to be monitored at all times while they are using that account. That protects the child from those who would send inappropriate messages or who would try to befriend them for inappropriate reasons. It also helps those older account holders who are trying to avoid interaction with young children. While I have children of my own and cherish them, I also understand that others may not want to be "bothered" by them. (I read constant complaints on some of the games about the younger players. The complaints have to do with those who lie about their ages and make inappropriate/rude/sexual remarks.)
Monitoring is the best way to go if anyone is allowing an underage child to use facebook.

Kris - posted on 02/25/2010

I have an 11yr old daughter who will be 12 in April and she does have a facebook account. I do have the password and check up on her....as well as my friends who have her as well. I feel that if you trust your daughter to do the right thing and not abuse the use of it then its okay...I would set ground rules of her having it and once they've been broken the account would be gone.

Denise - posted on 02/25/2010

i am a mother of 4 my first 3 r grown now but my youngest is 11 years old she will be 12 in april as a mom i can understand y u might not allow ur daughter 2 have a facebook or myspace acct. but if u also have one of ur own u can keep an eye on what she does and she can talk 2 her friends instead of using the cell phone to text message everyone which can cost a lot of money remember they grow 2 fast and in todays day and age things r different than when we were kids giving kids things like a facebook acct. also keeps them off the street where they can get into more trouble because they r not supervisor by their parents as they get older i 4 one would rather have my daughter sitting in front of the computer on facebook then running around on the streets today

Paula - posted on 02/25/2010

I won't let my 12 year old have an account, particularly as they are not supposed to be on there until they are 13. My stance on this has been strengthened by my friend, who is a school teacher for 11-16 year olds, who advises me that the kids often have one account they let parents, teachers etc, on as friends, and one 'secret' account ......

Sherry - posted on 02/25/2010

my 8 and 12 year old have facebook accounts. one of the rules i have with technology like this is that i must have login and password info or it gets taken away (this includes my eldest's phone, xbox, wii, computer accounts) its not so much that i am checking up on them 24/7 but so if i see any red flags i can intervene. my 12 yr old is active in the church so most of his friends are from there, also we moved around a lot when he was young, so its the best way for him to keep in touch with ALL of his friends and set up visits when we are in the area. my 8 year old only has family and church friends on his...its hard because we are in a technological age and there is a fine line between involvement by a parent/knowledge of using computers by the child/and being aware as to whats going on in your kid's "personal" life. i really think it depends on the kid, but that with some parental involvement that it is ok...good luck! :)

Leilani - posted on 02/25/2010

I have 2 daughters in a row aged 12 and 11, respectively. It's been a month since they opened a Facebook account and they just lied about their age. At first I found it fascinating that they get to see the photos of their friends and post some things that kids their age enjoy. However, lately I found it too much that they spend a lot of time in front of the laptop. So I changed the password and regulate their use of this media. I better do something before it's too late. For me, it's alright to let your child have an account as long as you're the one in control.

Laura - posted on 02/25/2010

We set our daughter, who is the same age as yours, up with an account. I believe the minumum age is 13, but many parents set their kids up with accounts, fudging the birthday. It all depends on how comfortable you are with the "white lie". If you choose to set her up with an account, set ground rules first! The number one rule was that my daughter had to "friend" her dad and I as conditional to her having an account. This way we can see her posts, comments, other friends, etc. #2) Anything she writes is public--choose comments carefully! If her dad or I have issue with something she said, she is required to remove it. This can include negative comments about other people, swear words, etc. #3) Limit the number of game "apps", otherwise time will disappear to Facebook playing games as much as "socializing" with friends! #4) "Friend" only people that you personally know! If you can't put a face to the name or recognize the face at all, just ignore the request. #5) Have fun! Hope this helps...

Deborah - posted on 02/24/2010

Facebook's terms say someone must be 13 years of age to join Facebook.

Emily - posted on 02/24/2010

Yes, I would wait *.* at least tell 15 but really 16 would be better and that also depends on how mature your daughter is than...

Tanna - posted on 02/24/2010

I have doubts about my 12 year old daughter joining Facebook. I'm not as concerned about awful, bad things happening, but just the adult comments that take place that aren't necessarily appropriate for preteens. I don't accept my daughters friends on my Facebook because I don't want the adult world and kid world to collide. I can't control what comments others make and I don't want to expose that to kids. This is definitely a tricky one.

Andrea - posted on 02/24/2010

The age limit is for privacy laws. Websites are not allowed by law to collect personal information from children under age 13. When signing up you enter your child's true birth date you do not need to lie. This way they will not keep the child's information.

Facebook states: No information from children under age 13. If you are under age 13, please do not attempt to register for Facebook or provide any personal information about yourself to us. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under age 13, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe that we might have any information from a child under age 13, please contact us through this help page.

Parental participation. We strongly recommend that minors 13 years of age or older ask their parents for permission before sending any information about themselves to anyone over the Internet and we encourage parents to teach their children about safe internet use practices. Materials to help parents talk to their children about safe internet use can be found on this help page.

Juliana - posted on 02/24/2010

IT'S ALL ABOUT TRUST. DO YOU TRUST YOUR KIDS

Juliana - posted on 02/24/2010

I think this is ok, this is a way for friends to connect, my 11yr. old is on it, and you can check on there wall

Danielle - posted on 02/24/2010

LOL THAT IS FUNNY BC MY SON IS NINE ..HE WENT TO VISIT HIS UNCLE AND NEXT THING I KNEW I WAS GETTING A FRIEND REQUEST FROM HIM....I LET HIM KEEP IT BUT I HAVE THE PASSWORD AND ONLY FAMILY AND CLOSE FRIENDS ARE ON HIS PG.

Sandy - posted on 02/24/2010

My son is about to be 12 and he has a Facebook,but he only gets on for games.I don't let him have friends yet though.

Tracy - posted on 02/24/2010

The children that I allowed to have a Facebook account are old enough to know and have been taught that you do not accept invites from people you do not personally know. The children that have an account are 17, 16, and 15 years old. Anything younger than that I believe is asking for trouble unless you want to constantly be looking over their shoulder at who they are talking with. Even though my kids are teens I am still aware of who they are friends with and have the account passwords so I can delete any friend that I feel is inappropriate for them to have.

Julie - posted on 02/24/2010

I believe it's 13. My son is 12 and wants one bad. lol

Melanie - posted on 02/24/2010

Personally, I do not allow either of my daughters to have a facebook account. I think they are too young for it. They are 13 and 10. I talk to them about all the "stanger danger" stuff,but like it was mentioned in the other response...you can't control what other people put out there. Just because one child is the model child, it doesn't mean there isn't another child or some one older that will post something inappropriate. There is just too much stuff on facebook that the younger ones should not have to see or read. I personally will not allow them to go on the computer at this age unless it is research for school or emailing relatives that do not live here in Texas. Just like everything else they may "want" right now, there is a time and place for everything and it will come later when they are mature enough. I hop what ever decision you make, you feel comfortable with it. Good luck!

Rhianna - posted on 02/24/2010

My step daughter is 11 and wants a facebook account. My husband and I both agree that she is too young but her mother wants to get a family account with her, her husband and my step daughter. Any thoughts on this?

Rachel - posted on 02/24/2010

I let my 13 yr. old join but he can only add friends that he knows personally or people I know personally. He added a friend of his friend but doesn't know her personally so I had him delete her.

Jennifer - posted on 02/24/2010

My son is 11 turning 12 in april.. I allow him to have a facebook, but the email is one mine and I chose the password. I made my son fully aware if I allowed him to have one that i would have access to it whenever i want. He agreed to that and i have not had a problem. He has had it for about a year.

Lisa - posted on 02/24/2010

Wow I'm the odd man out. I think 12 is way to too young but if her account is going to be monitored then its ok

Pam - posted on 02/24/2010

My son is 11 and is asking too. Facebook says you have to be 13 to join. I told him I am not going to break the rules and lie so he can join.

Amber - posted on 02/24/2010

My son is about to turn 13 yrs old in may. I told him not until he is 13 yrs old. My son does have a laptop. Right now I am teaching him how to use the laptop and facebook through my account and how to be cautious

Tina - posted on 02/24/2010

facebook policy is 13!! but if u do let them i would set it up yourself with all the privacy protcols turned on and the agreement that you must have access to the page.For her protection!!

Tina - posted on 02/24/2010

My son turned 12 in September last year and I got him a facebook account because he acts very responsible to me.