Facebook mulls lowering age restriction

Facebook is considering ways to invite children younger than 13 onto its social network, the Washington Post reported.


The move is thought to highlight what analysts say will be a recurring problem for the newly public firm: Facebook needs to find ways to increase revenue and please its shareholders, but those actions can stir privacy concerns.


And few subjects have sparked as much debate as the social networking giant’s interaction with young children. Kids are said to be spending more time online than ever.

“They have so many problems with privacy and the impact of social media on the social, cognitive and emotional development of teens. Why on the earth would I want them to also go after my 8- or 9-year-old?” said Jim Steyer, chief executive of the child advocacy group Common Sense Media. “What’s next, Facebook for toddlers?”


Facebook said it hasn’t made any final decisions on its plans for children, but it points to what it describes as a problem: Millions of underage kids are on its site already. A report funded by Microsoft recently showed that parents are often helping their children set up Facebook accounts.


The company said it does its best to remove underage users once they are identified by age verification technology or by alerts from other users. But many youths get through those filters, and the company is considering whether it is better to let children create Facebook pages and simply do a better job of monitoring their safety.


“Many recent reports have highlighted just how difficult it is to enforce age restrictions on the Internet, especially when parents want their children to access online content and services,” Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes said.