Virtual Bad Guys

As parents, we know it's important to protect our children from the "bad guys" out on the street, but it's just as important (maybe even more so) to protect them from "virtual bad guys". This article provides some good tips to ensure that your FB page (and your teen's) are more secure.


Also, did you know that some experts estimate more than 5 million children are under age 11 and a total of 7.1 million are under the legal Facebook age of 13?


What's your stance on this? Our nearly 11-year-old daughter would love to be on Facebook, but she knows it's not happening. In fact, she has told us that she thinks it's "wrong" for kids to go against the rules. (So far, so good.) But unfortunately, quite a few of her friends are on Facebook – and these are kids who attend a Christian school that teaches the importance of honesty and integrity. Now, these aren't bad kids. In fact, they're pretty awesome. But what does it say when we allow our kids to "agree" that they're 13 when signing up for an account or if we show them how to lie to get around the age requirement?


Many of these kids are on Facebook to play games or stay in touch with distant relatives. But some of their FB friends may have other FB friends that don't have the same values that their parents are striving to teach them. Tell me what you think. Where do we draw the line to protect our kids? What safety strategies do you have in place? The world continues to change and technology is driving it. As parents, our job evolves every day and we need each other to protect our kids.