Help! My Sixth Grader Wants a Facebook Account!

Well I'm in the 6th grade and im trying to convince my mom to let me get one. I think im pretty mature for my age, and i know about perverts, stalkers, murderers, etc. besides, i think im exposed to dirtier stuf on my bus than on FB. :P

ok I am guessing eveyone who is saying "NO" probably doesn't know what Facebook is (or at least don't have many FACTS about it.) Facebook can be extremly safe. When your daughter sets up her account make sure you are with her. Make sure her privacy settings are set so people can't see her profile and/or pictures without being her friend. And if you are still worried about it maybe have her give you her password so if you really need to you can go on and check out her friends or whatever it is you are worried about.

I understand about all the horror stories you hear. But honestly your daughter probably just wants it to talk with friends and/or family members! Sit and talk to her about your concerns about the site. And explain to her that she will have to have her provacy settings up and she will have to give you her password!

I give you credit for not just telling her "NO". Most parents would just refuse to try to get any info on the subject.

who is the parent here?? just say "no". end of conversation!

I go to a middle school/ high school, and I can assure you, MANY of the 6th graders have Facebook. Yep. They just don't ask thier parents.
Lay down the law. No is no. Facebook isn't safe for children that young.

Facebook is the one place on earth where the parents should be their children's "friend."

Also, with young kids, the parent should have access to the account by having the login and password info.

No big deal, I know a 6 year old who has a facebook. Her only friends are her family, and neighborhood kids, and lo and behold...she hasnt been killed by some psychopath. WHy? Because her mother set all her privacy settings for her, and only allows her on FB on her computer while she's in the room.

I'd wait until 15 or 16 at the very least, I was about 16 when I got my myspace account, and I just got facebook about 8 months ago, I'm 26 though, soooo I think my biggest problem is going to be learning how to use the darn thing, yesterday I learned how to make an album :)

My sixth grader wants one too, but she's not getting one. I just don't think she's ready.

My daughter who is nine has an account with fb....... all you have to do is watch them i have all her account info she is only allowed to get on fb when i say and only allowed to friend people we both know. If someone friends her that she dont know , we simply deny that person, we have a set of rules that she follows. Its not rocket science

Just say no. Its the law. Tell them if you let them get a facebook account, both of you could be in serious trouble. Its not rocket science. They make rules for a reason. Be the parent and explain why there are rules and the reasons behind them.

Sadly I have some fourth graders that have accounts..without parental knowledge. I think 4th graders, 6th graders, ect are far to young to be on facebook. They are not fully aware if pedophiles and the dangers of being on line.

If I were the parent, I would say no- and explain why. I would also check my computer history to make sure my kid does not disobey. If they do- computer privileges will cease to exist.

Ever heard of privacy settings? My 8yr old son has an account to play the same games my husband and I do and that is all he uses it for. He doesn't log into it, one of us does as we set it up for him and it has strict privacy settings. His only friends are family and friends of ours who know he only plays the games. The only thing he posts are game related sharing...he doesn't talk on it or post anything. More often then not, my hubby and I end up taking care of his farms and such for him because he forgets or his being punished and not allowed to play. Our children are not allowed on a computer with internet access without supervision and the one they play games on we check on them often or they call for help with the game.

a simple NO goes a long way. the scary thing is that i've seen 5 year olds w/ fb accounts. yes FIVE !! no comment on the mom that allows this other than if she wants to be a grandmother at 32, she's well on her way to it. her oldest is 14/13 and has a FB account too. in fact all FIVE of her girls (ages 14 to 5) have FB accts.

Okay, I would say that you should say NO if your child is younger than the site age limit. If they are old enough, it is important that you discuss the things you listed (what they post, who will see it, ect...)
But one thing I never see discussed on forums about kids and facebook or MySpace is how you make sure your kid knows how to use a computer, and how the internet works. Many kids ruin their cellphones or their computers because they don't know how to use their new gadget. How many teens do you know who read the manual of a new cell phone? While pedophiles and privacy are a huge concern, it's far more likely that a person would get a virus from these sites and others. Do these young kids (11-13) realize that they should never, ever click on ads around the page, or how to easily get rid of a pop-up without opening it? If kids are only told to be careful what they put in the page, then they won't be watching out for what's already on it. Just opening a message from a friend that looks unusual can lead to a computer getting a virus and crashing permanently. Kids should be taught how to recognize spam and ads that are too good to be true. I can't tell you how many times I've seen the same "read this, then hit this key, pass on the message to 25 people and you're crushes name will appear on the screen-it really works!" on MySpace comment areas or even here on Yahoo! I can't help but wonder who's naive or gullible enough to pass that on. Plus it's annoying to those of us who have our inboxes flooded with them. Ask your kids if they understand that someone's page can be infected with a virus, and could they tell if it was? What would they do if it was? Sometimes the pages are infected by computer like viruses, just causing mischief based on a program or command, but sometimes there is a person behind the virus, gathering information-that's a scary thought. Kids may realize that they shouldn't give out their home address or phone number, but do they realize that they shouldn't post where they are, or where they're going? There is all kinds of personal information that can be used to find a child. -Who they're playing against in the big game, what they do after school, where they spend their weekends...etc. Just make sure that your kids realize that creeps and what people will think of what they post are not the only concern. Make them aware of computer-exclusive issues as well.

say no. block the site. whatever. grow some balls and be a parent

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When did the person say their daughter was 11? I was way past turning 13 when I entered 6th grade.

Very good point MeaganO. I agree 100%.

Um...Aurastar were you held back several times? My son and all of his friends that entered 6th grade just today are all 11. We set him up a FB in 5th grade and set all of his privacy settings. He also knows he can't accept a friend request without asking our permission first. I also know his password and can (and do) go in at any time and read everything. So far...thankfully there hasn't been anything that is inappropriate. Just a bunch of kids acting like kids. Actually, after he got it he lost interest pretty quick and only goes on once in a while.

why are people so nuts? if you put your childs privacy settings on, guess who can see her stuff? no one except her friends. facebook and technology have come a long way.
and she can even set privacy settings so that no one except friends of friends can try to "friend" her. thus there is little chance of stranger danger.
and if you think your kid can't handle that, why is this even an issue? if she/he can't handle it, then the answer should be a flat out "no".

If "NO" doesn't work, make sure you have full access to the account and can monitor it. Also make sure the privacy settings is as strict as possible and she is only on with people she actually knows. There are alot of prevs out there and you can never be too careful. Also make sure she isn't telling everyone when you will be on vacation or out of town. (Good way of getting your house robbed or unexpected guests)
I let my daughter have one when her best friend moved to a different state. They have been able to stay close even with the distance. It is a great tool but as with any technology must be used properly.