Parental control on sns or other social networking should be banned

I wish to thank Xavi0125 for the opportunity to debate this topic. Children’s information safety Children, who are always far less experienced than their parents, are at least in a lesser position when it comes to determining what is safe. The capacity for abstract thought develops later in life, usually around 12 years of age (around the time a child enters the formal operational stage) [7]. So, a child who is far younger than that may not be able to accurately conceptualise the dangers in certain situations, perhaps resulting in sensitive, personal information being leaked. You’d think that this would be the case: younger children are the only ones at risk, right? However, here are some worrying statistics about teenagers and social media sites: “39% of teens who upload pictures limit access “most of the time” whereas 21% “never” restrict photo access,” “19% of teens who post videos restrict access to their videos “most of the time” whereas 46% “never” restrict video access” [4]… …”34% of youth online saw sexual materials online that they did not want to see, including pictures of people naked or having sex,” “55% of them had protective software (blocking, filtering or monitoring programs) installed and running when it happened,” “1 in 7 kids (ages 12 to 17-years-old) were sexually solicited or approached online.” [5] Take for example a pop-up on the internet, involving an apparently won iPod. A child (say 13 years old) could potentially think that he/she has indeed won said iPod, and then proceed to hand over a plethora of personal information. The identity of the child could then be stolen. According to the above statistics, although this is somewhat unlikely, it could happen. Paedophilia Paedophilia is a serious danger for children. It is far too easy for children to be coerced, via ‘grooming’ (i.e. not necessarily asked for anything immediately, but coerced into it over time) or blackmail, into sending pictures of themselves to illegally lascivious adults [1]. This exploitation of children can leave highly detrimental scars on the child, as was the case here [2]. Here is a site explaining how paedophiles operate, and the destructive aftermaths of the paedophiles’ actions [3]. Privacy can be slowly implemented as the child matures As a child becomes more cognizant of the dangers involving social media, the child may be given increased privacy -- an 8 year old is far less capable of managing the dangers associated with privacy than a 16 year old. However, it does not hurt for a loving mother and father to check their son/daughter’s social media account every so often. Remember, the parents are meant to be responsible for the child. We’re not talking about a government that could potentially be corrupt (where privacy is actually an issue). Yet, “42% of parents do not review content of teen chats that are read or typed by kids” [6]. Let me put this in another way: 42% of parents don’t know what their teenaged son/daughter is typing or reading online! The teenager could be reading content inappropriate for his/her age, like a highly sexualised erotica involving bestiality, or an unfounded, uncited explanation on how the Holocaust never happened. Are either of those appropriate for a 12 year old? Should not the parents be worried about and responsible for a child viewing these things? No interference unless necessary Children will be able to “improve the relationships with their friends” regardless of monitoring by parents. The parent does not have to be directly involved with the child’s social media experience, and it is probably best that the parent isn’t involved like that. As my opponent suggested, improvement of relationships is important, and the best way to do that is when the child thinks that he/she is responsible and in control. If danger does present itself, one which the child is unable to handle, a parent will be able to know about it quite quickly and act accordingly. This is, undeniably, a good thing, but the parent should be careful not to interfere unless necessary. A quick question... Are children really capable of handling themselves safely online all the time? Not only younger children (4-12 years) are virtually incapable of understanding some risks due to lack of mental development, but teenagers have been shown to be reckless too. Sources and references [1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk... [2] http://www.dailymail.co.uk... [3] http://www.child-safety-for-parents.com... [4] Amanda Lenhart, Mary Madden, Alexandra Rankin Macgill & Aaron Smith (2007). Teens & Social Media. Pew Internet & American Life Project. [5] David Finkelhor, Kimberly J. Mitchell, and Janis Wolak (2006). Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. [6] Ketchum Global Research Network (2005). Parents’ Internet Monitoring Study. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Cox Communications. [7] http://psychology.about.com...