Social media websites like MySpace and Facebook give people a place online to not only socialize but to express who and what makes them unique.
Privacy concerns aside these websites are designed for adults and young adults complete with age limits and privacy controls making it for all intents and purposes a large digital playpen for the grown-up set.
There are some in the world who believe that these social media places should be open to all and lie about the ages of their children to set them up their very own social media account so that they can play games and hang out with friends.
These are adult websites. While the chances of seeing nudity are not very high due to the terms of service on these websites the potential for encountering profanity and individuals who may want to inflict harm on children is a definite risk.
I do not wish to lecture or judge those who knowingly allow their children to create accounts on these social media websites but I do wish to point out a disturbing trend I am noticing online from the family of young children allowed to play in this adult world.
I have noticed these family members publicly scolding and lecturing other legitimate social media users in their choice of language, images and associations because “there are children on this site.”
First, these are adult websites, designed with age controls to keep children out. For these children to be on there someone had to lie about the ages of these young ones, which totally defeats any form of protection the social media websites could offer. You should expect this place to be the equivalent of other adult venues such as bars and adult shops. If you would not take your child to a bar then why allow them to go online to an adult social media website?
Second, there is such a thing as free speech in the United States. Adults in places that are designated age-specific should have the reasonable right to say and do as they please without being mobbed by the language police.
Third, if someone does not like what another person says or does on a social media website they have the right to defriend that person and are encouraged to take that action.
We are adults. If we don’t like something on television we turn the station. It is the same with social media. If we don’t like what someone says or does we have the right to defriend them and remove them from our circle.
Why are we instead lying to allow children into inappropriate places and then pouncing on adults for being adults? Where is the logic and simplicity in that?
There are websites that have games and other social activities exclusively for children. These sites have age-specific controls for language, images and interactions providing a safe environment for children to play in. There are a large number of these sites so one cannot use the excuse that there is no where for these children to go and play.
I am a parent. My daughter is not allowed on these social media websites though on occasion I have opened a game on my account on one of these sites and allowed her to play the game while preventing her from seeing anything other than that particular game.
I have no right to expect others to watch their language because my kid is using that game for ten minutes once every six months-or even if she played it every day. It is an adult venue and I understand that I take a risk whenever I do that and I would not consider lecturing an adult for being an adult on an adult website.
I speak how I wish to speak on my pages and I expect no less from others online. If I were to ever have an issue with them or vice-versa it is a simple matter to defriend someone to avoid seeing something that makes me or them uncomfortable.
The simplest solution would be to remove children from adult social media websites and set them up accounts on websites that are specific to their age with appropriate controls.
The next simplest solution would be to stand over your child’s shoulder and immediately defriend anyone on your child’s friend list that says or posts anything that you do not wish your child to see.
These methods would not only reduce strife at adult social media websites but would hopefully eliminate the language police I see routinely on social media websites.
I am an adult. I speak as an adult. Should I choose to use adult language on an adult website this is my right. Others should have this right as well and have the reasonable expectation of being free of judgment in an adult online domain.
Parents, if you have children on adult social media websites please be aware that you child may very well be exposed to profanity and rude images there. If you do not wish your child to be exposed to this then perhaps you should consider closing your child’s account but do not expect other adults to be willing to babysit their tongue and posts because you lied about your child’s age to create them an account. Adults would not watch their language in a bar or liquor store if a child were present—there is no difference between those places and adult social media websites.
Okay, I’m stepping down from the soapbox now!