Unfortunately, even though the age restriction to joining this mega social network is thirteen, studies have shown that children as young as eight have a Facebook profile. This is why meeting people on Facebook can be very dangerous and Facebook has been a known risk for internet child safety.
Do you know what your children do on Facebook? From the time that they sign up at this social site they begin to add friends to their own network. Some even venture as far as adding their friends' friends. This is the main reason Facebook can be a trap to young unsuspecting children.
You see, the friends they add are not always who they appear to be. Some adults go on Facebook posing as young children. One way they do this is by changing their name. A majority of them will not go by their real name because they can be easily tracked if they do so. Moreover, they will also hide their real age and tend to set their age around the same age as their child victims. Parents have to know how to secure their children's online safety to protect their kids on Facebook.
Parents need to remember that children who go unmonitored will do whatever they want so as a parent it is very vital to monitor your children while they are online. As a parent if you are doing such simple tasks such as reading a newspaper, why not read it quietly beside your child or in the same room as your child.
The very presence of the parent in the same room greatly helps in encouraging internet safety for kids. Another thing parents can do is to have a chat with children about the importance of not talking to strangers. We often talk to our kids about this offline but we forget to mention that they should also practice this online.