Facebook, an online social networking site, has grown in popularity over the years and now has over 21 million global users.
The site has a friendly and clean user interface that is easy to navigate. Users can upload photos or videos and write notes, as well as comment on their friends' content. They can add or remove friends and join user groups on a variety of topics. There are many fun applications to choose from and interesting groups to join.
Users over the age of sixteen can generally take care of themselves within the online community. Although abuse isn't too much of a problem, facebook offers a "report" link if a user runs into indecent material or receives insulting or offensive messages from another user. Users in their late teens or older can distinguish between which applications are suitable for them, and which aren't.
The site states that to be eligible to join the Facebook society, one must be older than thirteen years. Although the site does not allow pornographic pictures, there are some groups, applications and quizzes that don't seem suitable for younger members of the site, containing sexual, promiscuous content and obscene language.
It seems Facebook doesn't have many options in order to control either this material or the age of the site's users.
If the site bumps up the age restriction to sixteen, underage users will just lie about their age. Asking mature users to provide proof of their age in order to view this material is unethical; as such documents are private and should be protected. Banning elicit content from the site will create a public outcry, as little of it is actually pornographic in nature and therefore shouldn't be offensive to other adults.
It seems again, responsibility now falls to the parent. But what is a parent to do? Hack into their child's account and block all of the applications that are sexually oriented? This would be an invasion of the child's privacy and just downright rude.
Should a parent block Facebook ?
Facebook allows people to express themselves, to make new friends and to have discussions with others all around the world. Blocking facebook would be like telling your kid to not talk to anyone at school.
The only solution that seems viable is that the creators of facebook build a firewall that is free to download and easy to put in place, to block any applications, groups and quizzes that may be unsuitable to younger members.
The crude content would not be visible to younger members, and searches would not result in anything showing up for those who have the firewall in place. It may even gain popularity among adults who are not interested in stumbling upon or being invited to groups and applications that contain naughty material.
It's a new world, folks. Youngsters of the 21st century have a virtual universe of x-rated content right at their fingertips. If we keep heading in the direction we're going now, we're going to end up with five-year-olds cussing each other and swopping porn.
