Talk to Your Teen About Facebook Changes

If your teen frequents Facebook, prepare for a shock. You probably thought that whatever he or she puts up on a personal profile belonged to him or her. Think again. Under policies adopted Feb. 4, Facebook can now control users’ information forever, even after they cancel their accounts, according to some users of the social networking site who are protesting the new rules, WRAL reports.

It’s not the first time that Facebook has angered its users over privacy issues. WRAL reports that in late 2007, Facebook users were surprised to learn that a tracking tool called Beacon was broadcasting their shopping habits at other Web sites. Eventually, Facebook allowed users to turn Beacon off.

I have a teenager who uses Facebook like I used the phone at his age—constantly. I worry that he's getting too much Facebook and too little face time. I’m going to sit him down and explain this new policy to him. What it really means is that he’s writing his own personal history for everyone to see at a very early age. Depending on what he puts up there, his story could be a personal diary or just a way to communicate with his friends. Either way, it’s an open book for everyone to read—even after he has outgrown Facebook—and one that unscrupulous people and exploitive businesses can get their hands on.

By the way, if you’re thinking of spying on your teen’s Facebook page to see what he or she is up to, you might reconsider. Talking is more effective, according to a psychiatrist and N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper, who co-chairs the State Attorney General Task Force on Social Networking. If you're worried that your kids might encounter sexual predators on Facebook, keep in mind that a task force created by 49 state attorneys general finds that the danger of sexual solicitation of kids on social networking sites is not a significant problem, despite what we parents think.

And teens aren’t the only ones who put their electronic faces—or other body parts—out there. Facebook recently removed photos of a mother breastfeeding saying that that photos of a fully exposed breast are obscene.  Even moms find themselves sucked into the “friends” frenzy of popularity. As one mom notes, Facebook offers the comfort of knowing that you have a lot of friends, but is a huge waste of time. “Not so healthy, not completely harmful, but delicious nonetheless," she says.

I guess that’s why teens and moms can't help going back for more.