It’s becoming more and more obvious that Facebook is a dangerous place to be for minors and parents are becoming increasingly concerned over this fact. But how exactly do you convince your children to stay away from Facebook when it’s practically the watering hole to their Savannah. Facebook is where people go to socialize and no other age group puts more stock on socialization than teens. Then again, as the old adage goes, ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’. Parents have found out that the best solution to keeping their kids safe on Facebook is to monitor them. But the question is, would their kids approve their friend request?

Friends with Mom and Dad

There are some kids out there who are actually fine with having their parents as friends on Facebook. But then they’re the sensible ones, and you can’t exactly say the same for all of the teens out there. Some simply don’t think it’s “cool” to be friends with mom and dad. They feel uncomfortable at the thought of their parents being privy to their status updates and overall feel confined by the idea of being so open. Of course, a few more years of living in the world would teach them that they should be feeling the exact opposite. Parents would not cramp their style; they should actually feel like they have more freedom to move around knowing that there’s somebody watching out for their safety. To be fair, though, it doesn’t just depend on the child. Parents have to do a bit of convincing too. Kids do not want to be embarrassed by the actions of their parents, but the problem is that parents sometimes don’t know what’s embarrassing and what’s not because kids today sometimes live by different rules. Parents may be wiser and more experienced and they may find the teen’s issues seem inconsequential, but that doesn’t make the teen’s feelings any less real. If the kid says he’s embarrassed, believe him, he probably is.

Facebook Family Center

The answer to parents’ dilemma is the Facebook Family Center. The whole area is practically dedicated to helping parents make decisions about their kid’s safety on Facebook. There are answers to questions such as “What should I do if I see my kid getting bullied on Facebook?” or “Should I join in on the conversations of my kid and his/her friends?” or “Should I know my kid’s password?”. Parents can also find useful tips there such as opting for a private message instead of posting on their kid’s wall and pretty much staying invisible on Facebook so that you can’t do anything ‘uncool’. The Facebook Family Center is a really nifty page that any parent should check out. It’s very informative and it will definitely help you keep your kids safe. Facebook is a dangerous place, after all, and it’s never a bad thing to have mom and dad watching out for their little ones, even if their little ones believe that they’re not so little anymore.