My 8 Year Old Wants In On The Social Media Action
Deacon is my pride and joy. Tracy and I super proud of the young man he has become. He has started taking on responsibilities and is truly becoming a big boy right in front of our eyes.
There is a down side to that, and that is: he is growing up too fast. He is still a few years from driving, voting, or signing up for the military - but social media questions are already arriving. He wants a Facebook page, which is right out. That being said, he is an individual, and I do trust him the appropriate amount for a kid his age. We've decided to let him have an Instagram account. He is really only interested in posting pictures and getting likes, so I think this is the best choice for him. The catch is, Mom and Dad are the only input devices. He won't get the password, and won't be posting or communicating at all without me standing over him and checking his every move.
This was an issue recently with Grace Vanderwaals, as Instagram's terms and conditions state that you must be 13 and up to manage your own account. Check out that story here.
Obviously, I am aware and concerned about online predators and inappropriate content. One in five U.S. teenagers who regularly log on to the Internet says they have received an unwanted sexual solicitation via the Web. It's even more frightening when you consider only 25% of those told a parent.
I think that this will be a learning experience for both of us. Let me know what you think, vote below!