THERE is nothing new about children being one step ahead of their parents in adopting new technologies and exploring possible lifestyles. It has happened with popular music, television, radio, VCRs, DVD players, the Internet, and now all the myriad applications that have found a home on the Internet. Facebook, a social networking site that has millions of members around the world, has become one of the most frequently discussed of the new Internet applications. On Facebook, anyone can open an account for free, post their picture, an information profile about themselves and admit friends to their site both through self-generated invitations to others and through accepting invitations sent to them by others. Often, those sending the invitations are, indeed, friends; other times they are invitations sent by strangers attempting to amass the greatest possible number of “friends” on their sites. Once people have become friends, they can write notes to one another, which are visible to every other accepted “friend”. In a perfect world, Facebook would simply be a new way for friends to communicate, joke and have fun together. In the real world, Facebook has become a means by which some people have been able to inflict great harm to others. The photo option on the site, where users can post photos of themselves and friends, is rife with abuse. Facebook is, of course, an impressive communications tool, one which is at the center of a number of online communities with worthwhile things to communicate. But just as with any other form of communication in the hands of children and teenagers, its use must be monitored by parents. Parents should know what their children are watching on television. They should know who they are talking to for long periods of time on the telephone. They should have a pretty good idea what websites they are visiting. Blaming kids for the technology that falls into their hands is no solution. Monitoring your children's activities while using new technology is the only way to ensure that your children grow into responsible adults with the maturity to use wisely the technologies that will forever be coming our way. __
