Ten Facebook Rules for Kids

A while back, I posted Ten Facebook Rules for Married Couples.   As a follow-up, here are ten tips to consider (via All Pro Dad) for monitoring and protecting your kids on social networking sites like Facebook.

1. Parents should know the login password and have access to their child’s page.
2. Parents should customize their child’s settings to make their profile safer (privacy, visibility, etc).
3. An e-mail of new posts, added friends, etc. should come to the family’s home e-mail address.
4. Parents should consider having an account on Facebook themselves, and children should be expected to add and keep their parents as “friends.”
5. Children should not add strangers as friends, or use the Facebook “chat” application to talk to strangers.
6. Parents should set a limit on the time that children are allowed on Facebook.
7. The computer should be kept in a common area of the house, such as a living room or play room, where it will always be in easy view.
8. Children should never share personal information (address, phone number, pictures, etc.) with anyone on Facebook that they do not know well.
9. Children should immediately tell their parents if they see anything or talk to anyone on Facebook that makes them uncomfortable; and parents should take immediate action to block or report that material.
10. If the child breaks any of the set guidelines, his or her account should immediately be deleted and a probation period should begin until they re-earn their parents’ trust.

What do you think?   Can you think of any other tips?