Kids are growing up a lot quicker these days. I am still surprised when I spot a 10 year old girl with a full face of make up on, chatting away on her mobile telephone. I always wonder what they are talking about – what can so important that it cannot wait until school starts the next day? I am sure though that I could learn a thing or two from someone 15 years younger than me when it comes to computer technology and social networking because as much as I am connected to the social networking scene, I am sure these kids have tumbled further down the rabbit hole. If kids are walking around with mobile phones attached to their ears 24/7, there is no doubt that they are constantly connected to social networking sites just as much. The issue of social networking safety has always been a prominent one and even though the age requirement for logging onto Facebook is 13, there is no stopping young children connecting to their favourite social networking site and interacting with others who are much, much older.

A recent social networking site that has caught the attention of parents is Togetherville – a social networking platform for kids and parents to use and enjoy together. Togetherville feels that is important to let your children discover the world of social networking but believe that this should be done in a more secure and safe environment. This social site lets children connect, network and play games with others and also lets parents join in. The social networking site for kids claims that it has everything viewed under a microscope and there are stringent security limitations on the site to make sure that every child is safe when utilising this platform. For the child to register on Togetherville, the parent must have a Facebook account. This means that the site will not pass on anything about your child to Facebook, making sure that your child will not be related to Facebook in any way. Parents accept friend requests and they also can find their friends children via Facebook.

Many parents might be intimated by technology so when their kid says that they are joining social networking; they simply leave them to it. The truth is that parents should be aware of their child’s social networking habits and try and involve themselves with their kids’ online community (without being embarrassed, of course). Even if Facebook and Twitter is not your thing, being a part of the same social network and being friends with your child is a safety measure that all parents should look into. Experts have been a bit sketchy on their views concerning children and social networking as a few weeks ago there was a report saying that social networking is bad for kids and now, a more recent report have claimed that social networking is “healthy”. I feel that there are obviously strong arguments on either side of the spectrum, but as we can see in adults, social networking can promote one’s self identity as well as destroy it.

I feel that no matter how much we would like to deny it, social media users are becoming younger and younger. There is no way in which parents can stop their child joining social networking platforms, because if they ban it at home, there is always a friend’s computer that can be used or easier yet – their very own cell phone. Parents should allow this social interaction but mediate it where possible, if that is even possible.

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