My twelve-year-old gave a fake birth date and opened a Facebook account. Of course I want him to close it down, but I’m afraid if he admits he lied he’ll never be able to open one when he’s old enough. How do I shut him down for the short term?
This article gives step-by-step instructions for deactivating (not permanently deleting) your child’s account.
In the future, Facebook itself may provide part of the solution by launching a site for under-13s. Family therapist Dr. Bonnie Eaker Weil says, “Because Facebook is considering a system that would allow the accounts of younger children to be linked to their parent’s accounts, I am hopeful that kids will have the supervision of an adult. This is of utmost importance in order to prevent troubled behavior. Thirty-six percent of parents know their underage kids are on Facebook, and some have even helped their children set up their accounts.”
So — let your child know it’s not forever, but next time you’ll be keeping an eye on him.