She knows how to push my buttons

[Fatheroffour]

Saying Facebook, MySpace, etc, is evil equates to saying guns kill people and pencils misspell words

But...

[kangaroocourt]

Looks like I'm totally in the minority but I think you are wrong about this one.
I don't think it's unreasonable at all, from your kid's perspective, to want to communicate with friends via facebook.
And I don't think it's right to monitor what your kid does on facebook, either. I don't think it's the right thing to do for parents to spy on kids. My parents did it to some extent and I really resented it even after I grew up. I just don't think that spying is the right thing to do...for parents, employers, government, anyone. Violation of privacy is a very egregious violation in my book.

[BartSimpson]

Looks like I'm totally in the minority but I think you are wrong about this one.
I don't think it's unreasonable at all, from your kid's perspective, to want to communicate with friends via facebook.
And I don't think it's right to monitor what your kid does on facebook, either. I don't think it's the right thing to do for parents to spy on kids. My parents did it to some extent and I really resented it even after I grew up. I just don't think that spying is the right thing to do...for parents, employers, government, anyone. Violation of privacy is a very egregious violation in my book.

Minority of one?

Not exactly something I would expect from an experienced parent.

Being a parent is spying and "violating" a minor child's privacy? Glad I will never have to live next door to your kids.

[Fatheroffour]

I don't spy on my kids when they are on their computer either.

I told them up from that their computer is hooked to mine and I know everything they see, type and hear on it because I had Net Nanny installed.

I'll tell them about the black box installed on their car as well when the time comes.

[Bubba Seal]

LOL, I had a go-cart when I was around 10 maybe 11, my dad would turn the governor way down on it, the minute he turned his back I would turn it back up, if a child wants to get around you they will figure out a way to do, we all did that didnt we?

[jumbledone]

LOL, I had a go-cart when I was around 10 maybe 11, my dad would turn the governor way down on it, the minute he turned his back I would turn it back up, if a child wants to get around you they will figure out a way to do, we all did that didnt we?

Your dad was just teaching you to be handy around electro-mechanical things.

Like he didn't know you were turning it up when he was looking away, I mean who else turned it up to the point he felt he needed to turn it down again?

[kangaroocourt]

Looks like I'm totally in the minority but I think you are wrong about this one.
I don't think it's unreasonable at all, from your kid's perspective, to want to communicate with friends via facebook.
And I don't think it's right to monitor what your kid does on facebook, either. I don't think it's the right thing to do for parents to spy on kids. My parents did it to some extent and I really resented it even after I grew up. I just don't think that spying is the right thing to do...for parents, employers, government, anyone. Violation of privacy is a very egregious violation in my book.

Minority of one?

Not exactly something I would expect from an experienced parent.

Being a parent is spying and "violating" a minor child's privacy? Glad I will never have to live next door to your kids.

I'm not by any means saying that a child of any age has an absolute carte blanche moral right to privacy. However, I do think that as children get older they become entitled to certain age appropriate privacy. For instance, I think a teenager should be able to keep a diary and not have to worry about her parents reading it. Some things are more obvious than others...you wouldn't walk in on your 16yr old daughter while she is on the toilet or tape record her getting changed. Other things are debatable, like this internet thing. I tend to think an 11yr old is old enough to maintain a facebook account as long as I don't find out she is using it to surf porn or something.

[Trevor]

I have a FB account and have never seen anything remotely like porn on it. But then again I don't go looking for it.

[BartSimpson]

I'm not by any means saying that a child of any age has an absolute carte blanche moral right to privacy. However, I do think that as children get older they become entitled to certain age appropriate privacy. For instance, I think a teenager should be able to keep a diary and not have to worry about her parents reading it. Some things are more obvious than others...you wouldn't walk in on your 16yr old daughter while she is on the toilet or tape record her getting changed. Other things are debatable, like this internet thing. I tend to think an 11yr old is old enough to maintain a facebook account as long as I don't find out she is using it to surf porn or something.

With the responsibility, comes the authority. It's THE parenting principle.

You obscure your arguement for privacy with matters of common decency. Using "age-appropriate" implies a static condition based on milestones, when parenting can also be a proportional and appropriate response to immediate circumstances. IF your child was missing, would you honor this Code of Privacy and not look in her diary? On an average day, privacy is fine, but it is also necessary to conduct due diligence.

The "surfing porn" isn't the issue, it is the company your 11 year old keeps. Would you treat your 11 year old's school friends as her private matter?

[dobradavid]

You might want to start dealing with reality.

A child is not a "miniature person" - a child is a growing and developing human being. The last part of the human brain to mature (early twenties) is impulse control and the ability to consider long-term consequences of actions.

Children need and deserve your attention - and sometimes it's can be a PITA.

Looks like I'm totally in the minority but I think you are wrong about this one.
I don't think it's unreasonable at all, from your kid's perspective, to want to communicate with friends via facebook.
And I don't think it's right to monitor what your kid does on facebook, either. I don't think it's the right thing to do for parents to spy on kids. My parents did it to some extent and I really resented it even after I grew up. I just don't think that spying is the right thing to do...for parents, employers, government, anyone. Violation of privacy is a very egregious violation in my book.