Fbook, Teens, and Tweens

In my Resources for Young Adults class, we've talked about cyberbullying and social network use by young adults (together, and as two separate topics).  The issue of lying about age to open a Facebook account is interesting, especially when parents condone that behavior.  This article talks about how many children under the age of 13 are using Facebook.  Duh.  It does discuss several ways to deal with this.  One option is to open Facebook to younger users and increase safety measures.  Critics say that this will increase cyberbullying.  Another opinion is that parents should exert more responsibility for encouraging children to not open social media accounts. 

I'm not sure what the answer is, but blaming parents seems silly.  In a more heated discussion in my class, several classmates implied that when parents allow their children to lie about their age online, the next step is underage drinking and lying about age in that context.  That view seems extreme, especially when parents discuss the context with their children.