Cyber Space can be a Scary World if Parents Don't Take Action of Their Childrens' Privacy Online

During 2010, there were an estimated 7.5 million users under the age of 13 and 5 million under the age of ten that used Facebook.  In addition, there were 20 million active users under the age of 18. This statistic is important because minors are a vulnerable segment of society.  Cyber-bullying causes children to develop anxiety. Also, the Federal Trade Commission, FTC, recently warned that "8 percent of the ID theft complaints in 2010 involved children", which partially results from online information sharing.  Moreover, rapists and child molesters use the Internet to contact and learn about potential victims. Due to the vulnerability of children, it is essential to protect the information that a minor shares with any interested third party.

I. Who is responsible for protecting information?
This inevitably raises the question of whom or what entity is responsible for policing the information that a minor shares on social networking websites. According to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule, a federal law effective April 21, 2000, a website operator must "include in a privacy policy, when and how to seek verifiable consent from a parent and what responsibilities an operator has to protect children's privacy and safety online". As a result, a parent possesses legal rights in regard to the information that his or her child shares online.The responsibilities of the website operator and the legal rights of the parents will be examined in-depth. These rights also will be explored in conjunction with Facebook's official policy.

II. A parent may protect information through providing parental consent.
Primarily, a website operator must obtain verifiable parental consent prior to collecting information relating to children under the age of 13. An operator must make a reasonable effort to notify the parent that information will be collected and obtained permission from the parent.
A parent should also know that if information is transmitted to third parties, then the FTC expects the website operator to make a better effort to obtain verifiable parental consent. A better effort means that a website operator must obtain the consent through the following methods: (1) getting a signed form from the parent vial postal mail or facsimile; (2) accepting and verifying a credit card number in connection with a transaction; (3) taking calls from the parents, through a toll-free telephone number staffed by a trained professional; or (4) an email accompanied by a digital signature. A parent should also recognize that these methods of contact are not binding, rather they are meant to advise the website operator on what constitutes a better effort to establish contact with a parent.

III. A parent has the right to review the information and revoke consent at any time. 
Also, a parent possesses the legal right to review the information that the website operator collects. A parent may review the types of information that a website collects, e.g., name, address, telephone number, etc. In addition, a parent may revoke the consent and refuse to allow the website operator to continue to use or collect the child's information.
 It is also important that a parent recognizes that certain types of common websites are not required to obtain parental consent. This includes monitored chat rooms, where information is stripped from postings before made public, and the operator deletes the information prior to storing it. Other exceptions include online activities for kids, contests, online newsletters, homework help, etc.

IV.How Facebook Applies to Children Under Age 13 In regard to Facebook, children under the age of 13 are not allowed to use the service.  The website's official statement of rights and responsibilities explicitly states that, "You will not use Facebook if you are under age 13." A parent should, however, recognize that Facebook cannot prevent a child from falsifying information concerning his or her age during the sign-up process. For example, a child age 12 could mark that he or she is age 19 by selecting the corresponding year of birth; i.e., a child age 12 would select his or her birth year as 1992 to register as a 19 year old person with Facebook.

This YouTube video provides an excellent public message educating parents about children signing up with Facebook, Get Your Children Off Facebook

V. Is your child affected?
The following chart detailing internet usage among children between the ages five to eight:

Computer Use Among 5-8 Year Old: Percent who use a computer:

Never                                       10%

Several times a day                10% 

Once a day                              12%

Several times a week              29%

Once a week                            17%

Less than once a week          22%

 According to this chart, over 20% between the ages of five and eight are using the computer every single day. When this statistic is compared to the information mentioned in the introduction, it is possible that some extremely young, vulnerable children use Facebook to share information several times per day.  The Pew Research Center also reports that 80% of children between the ages of 12 to 17 years old use social media sites. (source is cited at the end)
This information becomes troubling, when cyber-bullying is considered. The Pew Research Center indicates that 80% of social networking website users between the ages of 12 and 17 have defended a victim of meanness and cruelty. As a result, it is highly likely that Natalie Forzaneh is not an isolated example, and children or interested third parties use the information posted on social networking websites to harass a targeted child.
It is equally troubling in light of the fact that "users have to opt out of sharing activities on other sites, ranging from what movies they've seen to where they shopped online", as well as the "Share Where You Are" and "Timeline" features. Consequently, a child's information about his or her schedule is available to interested parties. It is also likely available on the Internet to any interested person because the option to protect information is not the default setting.

VI.  Food for thought
The information discussed demonstrates that a social networking website can reveal sensitive information to an interested third party. Furthermore, it has discussed the problem as it relates to children, and what legal rights a parent has in regard to protecting his or her child's information. However, Facebook does not subject itself to the restrictions of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule because it explicitly forbids children under the age of 13 access to its website. Lastly, data indicating that children likely use social networking websites and the consequences of that use were divulged.

In light of this discussion, a parent should take several steps to limit his or her child's exposure to online information sharing through social networking websites. First and foremost, a parent should monitor the Internet usage of his or her child. By using parental controls through a content barrier filter, such as the one shown in this video below: 

Content barrier filters allow a parent to control the websites that his or her child visits, as well as limit the dates and times that the child accesses the Internet. In this way, the child can be monitored for potential social networking website usage. A parent should also consider discussing the importance of respecting age requirements within social networking websites. A child should not simply disregard the user agreement with a website because it is an inconvenience; rather, a child should learn that disregarding this type of notice is both morally wrong and criminal. A child should also learn to respect age requirements in general and learn the importance of them, i.e., a child does not have the maturity required to view content on social networking websites.
A third recommendation to a parent of a child using or contemplating using a social networking website is to sign your child up for an age appropriate social networking website. These websites, such as Club Penguin, are designed for children and work to protect your child's identity. One way that Club Penguin provides this function is that it does not feature profile pictures, but instead allows a child to create a penguin avatar to interact with other users. In this way, it maintains anonymity and protects sensitive information.

Social networking websites are here to stay for the adult population. Online sharing of information is a natural consequence of these websites that encourage a user to share his or her life. However, it does not mean that a parent must accept that his or her child's information needs to be at risk. By understanding a parent's legal rights and what steps he or she can take to ensure his or her child's safety, social networking websites can be free from criticism concerning the exposure of a child's sensitive information to an interested third party.

Other References:

Shields, M. Sharing, Not Scaring. MediaWeek.Vol.20. Issue 21. " http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/ehost/detail?sid=1b9a265a-2449-4054-ac4f-912768a40298%40sessionmgr115&vid=2&hid=119&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ufh&AN=50876313