Facebook is attempting to open it's service to children under 13.
June 5, 2012- Facebook announced it was working on new technology that would allow children less than 13 to access the social site if they had parental supervision. The social networking site currently requires its users to be 13 or older, but the effort to allow those less than 13 is being made since many children lie when they put their age on the site in order to gain access. A final decision on a policy change has not been made.
A statement from Facebook said the company was exploring avenues to take to handle children on the site. It said it has been next to impossible to enforce the age restriction, especially when children’s parents want their kids to have access to services and content on online.
Facebook’s effort to allow children to access the site would involve the use of technology that allows parents to determine what friends their children can have and what applications they would be able to use.
The statement from Facebook said many youngsters do not tell the truth about their age thereby putting the site in an awkward position regarding a requirement by the government to obtain consent from the parents before the collection of personal data.
A source close to the matter said Facebook would follow all laws in the U.S. and foreign countries with regard to child protection.
No Trackbacks.