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How Young Is Too Young For Social Media?

Are your kids too young for social media?

Kids and online safety is such a scary thought. You always want to protect your child, but the internet makes it tough. It gets even tougher when you child is holding all the scary power of the internet in their hand – if they have a smartphone.

One major thing that kids want is social media. Right now, Instagram is HUGE, I can’t believe how many pictures I have seen the pre-teens in our neighborhood take just to get that one perfect picture!

 

I wanted to share some advice for those who may be wondering about getting their child a phone and letting them use social media apps on their phone and or computer. These are all things that I am wrestling with right now as a parent of an 11 & 10 year old.

Age & Restrictions

I have, what I like to believe, 2 very mature, smart, but sometimes naive children. Even though I believe they would most likely be fine, studies by people smarter than me say that children under 13 lack the awareness required to operate in mainstream online social media.

A number of the social media entities agree. Facebook, Instagram and other all have an age requirement of 13.  As a parent of a mature 11 year old, I would consider fibbing during registration to let them have an account, however when my 11 year old is 16, she will now be seen as 18 and an adult in that social network’s eyes, and that is not good!

There are a number of age appropriate forums for those under 13. These sites are also COPPA compliant, meaning they are aware of the ages and have certain policies and restrictions in place. These sites are awesome for those who may be too young for social media in the most common formats.

Posts

Think twice, post once. Instruct your child to always be respectful, things put online are there for everyone to see and don’t fade away like a verbal insult may.

Take lots of pictures, but wait to post them, you don’t need to tell the world you are away from home right now. Instruct them to save the pictures, edit them and think of something fun to write with their post.  This is best done at home, not at that exact moment.

Also, remember your child will most likely be following friends, and sometimes friends of friends. This is a great way to know more people, but also a great way to see some things that may make your child feel left out.  Imagine seeing tons of pictures on Instagram of a great party and everyone having fun. Now realize that your child wasn’t invited to that party. These things happen and it is easy for your child to get upset about these things.

Parent’s Role

Let’s say your child is old enough for an account, and you help them set it up. Now you have some work to do.

  • Talk to your child – have an open dialogue about expectations and follow up on these agreed upon expectations weekly. This is also a great opportunity to talk to and learn more about your child.
  • Who to follow? I suggest initially limiting who your child follows to friends you have actually met. It is a great starting place and can grow from there as your child shows more responsibility with how they use their account and device.
  • Learn for yourself – setup your own account, learn the restrictions and play around.
  • Be a friend, be a follower – not normal parenting advice with this one! You want to follow or friend your child. This gives you the ability to follow along and make sure everything is in order and meeting your agreed upon expectations.
  • Monitor your child’s account and agree on a password – let your child know that you always have the option and ability to login to or close their account.

There is a lot to worry about online. Social media is fun, but it can also be scary. So it is important to put your child in the best position to succeed when it comes to online safety.

This post is sponsored by the awesome people at Trend Micro. They believe in keeping your child safe while online. Trend Micro has also created a tremendous resource about internet safety, it is full of ideas and suggestions that all parents should check out here.

For checking this post out, Trend Micro is giving away a $100 Amazon gift card as well as a Trend Micro Maximum Security, cloud based security protection to help your family. This is a $39.95 value and you will love all that it offers.

Win It!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Comments

  5. We would go with the Hot Taco Bar, the Fajita Veggies, & the Tortillas so that everyone would have a chance to sample their favorites !

  21. I’d get the taco bar – but I bet that is an old question. About this post, I agree that parents should know the passwords so they can see what’s happening on their child’s social media accounts. It’s easy for kids to overshare (adults too!).

  29. I would choose the chicken and brisket bar. That way it is something for everyone.

    Regarding your post, it is great to be aware of the dangers and how to keep little ones safe online!

    Thank you for the opportunity!

  30. Do they have a cupcake bar? I’m all for that! Pickle bar. Avocado bar is on the top of my list. lol
    Thanks for the giveaway!

  36. I think a cell phone with very limited internet/game access should be given to kids at a pretty young age. I’d say maybe around 6-7. Cell phones can come in handy in countless emergency situations. As for social media, I’d say high school aged kids. Middle school aged, monitored and limited.

  39. I never heard of Qdoba before but I would order the nacho bar. I make these a lot for our football parties or our game nights. It would be nice to have someone else make them for a change.

  41. I think I’d try the nachos bar, warmed up in m pocket. I don’t think I’d let kids have an unsupervised, personal account before their teen years. Electronic security is one problem that always concerns me, as I start to do more financial transactions on-line. Does that means kids should be Qdoda-barred from unsecured , personal online accounts?

  52. Adobo Marinated Grilled Chicken and Adobo Marinated Grilled Steak, With both rices, Black beans. Thats what I would grab from the catering menu!

  55. I’m loca about tacos so the hot taco bar for sure.
    My child has screen time, but she loves the outdoors more.

  56. In regards to the Qdoba question, I would get the Hot Bar with Chicken and Brisket. With the Internet safety issue, I would not even consider a social media account before the age of 13. Even after the age of 13, I would be vigilant about monitoring it. Thank you!

  59. ? I would would choose the hot taco bar because tacos are one of my favorite foods. In regards to this post child safety on social media in this day and age is extremely important.

  62. The Taco bar seems good. Question is unrelated to post. The problem with social media is the technology is intuitive, everything is point and shoot. However, the understanding of the of the consequences and permanence of the expression can’t be fully considered by an immature mind.

  66. lol i think this is the wrong question for this post, but the taco or the nacho bar sounds yummy!
    as for the security, i think it would be a really great thing to have for the family :)

  67. The Hot Taco Bar is what I would order..but I think this was not the right question for this.

  73. Think this might be the wrong question? I would love the Nacho Bar — Taco Bar would be good too.

  74. My 13 year old grandson has a phone but his 10 year old brother does not. They have rules and restrictions.

  75. I’ve never been to a Qdoba and I think this is the wrong question, but thanks for the giveaway!

  78. I think your question prompt is from a previous post :) I’d love to win this giveaway however, to help secure our devices for my 8 year old. He’s really a good kid and loves the internet more than anything. I worry more about him accidentally getting into online trouble than on purpose. Trend Micro would make us feel safer, for sure.

  81. I’m not sure which Qdoba bar…tacos? But I know I would love for our family electronics to be more secure!

  87. Not sure the question goes with the post but i definitely worry about my kids and social media and I love qdoba

  96. All sound good but I would start with the hot taco bar or the marinated chicken –

  97. I would order the hot taco bar. I would definitely set limits on my kid’s social media usage.

  102. I would order the taco bar from there. Thanks so much for the safety tips especially for the kids.

  103. I would choose the Nacho Bar. They recently built one in town and I’ve meant to go by.

  105. The Marinated grilled chicken hot bar is the one id choose because it seems to be the most nutritious

  106. I love the safety tips! I’m not sure the question to answer is correct, but I would choose the taco bar.

  112. I WOULD ORDER THE Marinated grilled chicken hot bar :) It sounds delicious :)

  117. The hot taco bar. I also agree on limiting who your child follows and helping them understand why it might be bad to post certain photos, their locations,etc.

  118. Umm I kinda confused by the question, since this article is about social media usage in young children. However, I guess I jump on the bandwagon with everyone else and say the Hot Taco Bar sounds pretty good.

  131. I like that this software would allow me to restrict time and access for my kids online. I would try the breakfast burritos at Qdoba.

  139. What I love about Qdoba is how you can customize everything to your taste…and with custom Hot Bar…be respectful of/take others into consideration so they can make their own choices.

    Taking various food allergies and lifestyles into account (gluten free/vegetarian), I would choose the following custom Hot Bar:

    Shells: Corn Shells AND Flour Tortillas (I like my shells soft…others prefer them hard.

    Meat: Adobo Marinated Grilled Chicken and Adobo Marinated Grilled Steak (to give a choice between steak and chicken)

    ***I would add grilled fajita veggies for my vegetarian family and friends.

    Rice: Cilantro-Lime Rice AND Seasoned Brown Rice (I love the Cilantro-Lime Rice, but several people I know hate cilantro…so Seasoned Brown Rice for them!)

    Finally…beans. I know I could choose both beans…but I’d likely be stuck with eating any left over beans (if there were any), so Pinto beans all the way!!!

  141. I think the question is from another giveaway. But I checked it out anyway and the Hot Taco Bar sounds nice.

  142. I would choose the taco bar because my family loves tacos. I’m guessing this is the wrong question though.

  144. There are no Qdoba’s here, but a hot taco bar sounds amazing. As far as social media, it’s scary how things can become viral in an instant and once something is out there, it’s out there.

  147. Keeping children safe when online is always a concern! As for the Qdoba question, I am not familiar with their menu.

  148. It’s a little scary that my two year old can work my phone as well if not better than me! I think that these are really good reminders to make sure that we are taking the necessary precautions to keep our kids safe online!

  150. I’m confused by the question, but I would choose the Salad Bar. I love salad and I need something healthy.

  154. I am going to assume the question applied to an old giveaway and answered based on this post. I like trend because children need more monitoring than they think they do. There are so many online dangers these days.

  155. Not sure what the connection is, but I would order the Hot Taco Bar. We all love tacos!!

  157. The hot taco bar sounds good! But I think the security measure of watching kids on social media is so important!

  158. I think this may be the wrong question. This security system sounds like something my family and I could really use.
    As far as the taco, I’d like to try the Hot Taco Bar.

  161. I feel like this is the wrong question, but I would go with the Hot Taco Bar because that appeals to everyone!

  173. If I could find a location near us, husband and I would go for the Hot Naked Burrito Bar. Interesting post about kids and online security! I have three grand kids..

  174. This security item would be great as it is something everyone now needs. For the question I would go with the taco’s while my kids would want the nachos bar.

  176. The question prompt seems odd, but I would go for the hot taco bar. It is important to closely monitor kids on social media!

  177. Too much goes on in this day and age, so I’m very cautious about my pre-teen using social media anytime soon. :(

  178. I would go for the Hot Naked Burrito Bar because we all go crazy over burritos!
    thank you

  181. Wrong question maybe? If not I would order the hot taco bar.
    My 12 year old grandson is already way more tech savvy than I am, but he doesn’t use social media yet except for snapchat with his friends.

  182. My 6-year old daughter is already too savvy with social media and technology. This would help me safely encourage her!

  183. At the risk of sounding like a “copy cat”….I love tacos….so the Hot Taco Bar would be my choice of order….YUM! :-) Thank you.

  185. I guess I would do the hot bar chicken and steak? Not sure what Qdoba has to do with this post though.