A debate among the parents of schoolchildren has raised concerns over the growing popularity of Facebook, a social networking site. Parents are trying to decide if the social networking sites that have become popular in the Kingdom, particularly among students, are a boon or a bane for their children. Since Facebook was designed and created by a student, some parents have the impression that students should become members to benefit through the exchange of notes and other study materials online. However, according to others, social networking sites have become platforms that promote vulgarity and are a mere waste of time. However, a different point of view is that parents should be held responsible for what their children do. Those who hold this position say that it is simply a matter of monitoring how children spend their time at home – whether they are constantly on the Internet or are doing their school homework. A heated argument erupted among the families of students of two different community schools after their children were found to have been involved in the prolonged use of a social networking site (in this case Facebook) that led to dating between students of various creeds. The movement of schoolchildren, particularly of international community schools, is restricted as they are not permitted to go out after school hours except for tuition. The lack of recreation facilities for students makes life more monotonous leaving some students either glued to the television set or spending time surfing the Internet. Problems arise when both the husband and wife work. This is what happened in one family when their daughter, a ninth grade student, began spending much of her time on the Internet. Otherwise a studious child who concentrated on her studies, the dramatic change in her behavior did not go unnoticed by her parents. The father questioned his daughter who confessed to conducting an online affair with a fellow student. When the father sought a meeting to discuss the issue with the girl's class teacher and the principal of the school, the entire parent community began to seriously debate the issue. The parents of the concerned students called upon the Saudi authorities to impose a ban on all social networking sites, as is done with other websites which are blocked by the authorities. Facebook has met with some controversy over the past few years. It has been blocked intermittently in several countries including Syria and Iran, although the latter unblocked it earlier this year. It has also been banned at many places of work to discourage employees from wasting time using the service. Privacy has also been an issue, and it has been compromised several times. Ziaur Rahman, Webmaster and owner of Yahind.com, a Riyadh-based news portal site, said some expatriate communities in Saudi Arabia have adopted a lifestyle that leaves them very little or no time for their children, “and hence the parents should be blamed if something goes wrong, and children become engaged in activities that do not conform to the social norms of a particular society.” What happens on social networking sites like Facebook is that children form friendships, said Rahman. If parents do not monitor their teenagers at home, “this simple friendship” might lead to further strengthening of relations, although on the Internet, which later encourages the students to exchange photos and finally to meet in person,” he said. Parents, he said, are usually reactive rather than proactive. There are many social networking sites available on the Internet, however, not all of them are accessible in the Kingdom. Denying access to certain Internet sites would not be a solution, said Rahman. He added that besides social networking sites, there are a number of cost-effective communications tools, such as, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), which expatriates use to speak with their relatives back home. “The Internet has become a tool that helps us do almost anything online conveniently,” he said.
