The following is what parents need to know to keep their child safe on facebook:
Facebook is considered one of the safest social utility sites. Unlike MySpace only people who are on your child’s friends list or in their network can view their profiles. However, do not let this fact give you or your child a false sense of security.
To keep your child safe on Facebook you need to be aware of what things they could be in danger of. The following are some examples of some of the dangers your child may run into even on Facebook, and how to keep them safe.
•On Facebook you can upload photos or publish notes. This means your child could be victim to a number of things. For one, many Internet predators target their victims based on photographs. So, make sure your child limits the number of photos they have on their facebook account, or make sure they set passwords or other security features to access these pictures. You can also have them only include photos that have themselves and other people with them. With notes, make sure they do not share too much personal information. Block viewing of personal conversations. Too much personal information given accidentally can lead to your identity being stolen. So, never give out information like your mother’s maiden name, your elementary school, your first pet’s name, or anything like that; these might be security question answers used to steal your credit card, identity, etc.
•Another thing you can do on Facebook is get the latest news from your friends. When your child gets on facebook they get updates about their network, their friends, etc. The trouble with this is that it is possible to post fake information. Your child could think their friends will all be at a party, and it might be false, so just make sure that your child validates any information that they see on their Facebook account that will make them act.
•You can post videos on your profile. This may hurt your identity because of the things that are in the background of your pictures. You do not want to give away too much personal information. So, edit videos and make sure they do not include information you would not want to share accidentally. You will also want to make sure that your child is only publishing or posting appropriate videos for their age.
•Some people join networks such as religious networks just to prey on trusting people. So, make sure that you talk to your child and make sure they verify all information they are given, that they use privacy settings to control who sees their info, and that they are selective about who they include in their friends and which networks they join.
In order to keep your child’s identity safe on their Facebook account you will want to talk to them about what they should and should not put in their profile. Profiles contain personal info and recent activity. It would be wise to have your child put some false information on there to mislead people who are trying to steal their identity. Put their birthdate wrong, or something like that, so that they are not opening themselves up for identity theft.
The best way to keep your identity safe, or your child’s identity safe on Facebook is to use the privacy settings and security the site provides, and not have a false sense of security.