Kids on bebo and facebook

[hippy-chick]

My 9 year old has a bebo account.
I've just been on it and had a lookie, not too bad, deleted a few things like pictures of guns and marajuana. (****!!!!)

Had a look at his email account, not too bad again (right)! Just a couple of rude emails with an obese woman sitting on a man's face. Have emailed the girl who sent it to him to tell her if she sends anything like that again i will be knocking at her parents door and showing them what she's sending.

I've now calmed down a bit.

Don't know whether I should be giving him this freedom, going to have a talk with him tomorrow about it, but want to be grown up about it (me that is).

eek! bit out of my comfort zone here.

 

[~Emmsybabes~]

Ok, my opinion is....I won't let my kids on it,
at first before I knew what networking sites were I let my eldest as all her friends did...

I learned a bit more about them, and then the final straw came when one of her school friends uncles added my daughter as a friend, (he is in his 30's, she was just 11...)
Now I do think it was innocent nothing sinister, she didn't have any photo's on there or anything as that I feel strongly about,
BUT...It could have been any adult anywhere...

I too don't want my kids to be left behind the times, but its sooo scary I think,.
My youngest is only 9 and wanted to join facebook....was told a massive nooooooooo wayaayyyyy
I did explain why too...

God I don't even like it when people post minging or rude pictures on my wall thing, I know I am a prude but that's just the way I am

There are people out there whether we choose to realise it or not...
I was watching on the news the other day how easy it actually was for a reporter pretending to be a child, to gain another child's trust,...
Its horrible...

At 14-15 possibly even 13 depending on the childs maturity level, then maybe yes...
But 9 no...I explain to both my kids that there are bad people out there etc...etc...
they nod and look like they are interested, but really I am sure they havent got a clue what I am talking about...lol

 

[bubbabinks]

Some of those wall posts are awful, it's bordering on porn.
I actually removed that part of it on facebook because some disgusted me and I also didn't want my littlins looking over my shoulder and seeing it!

 

[~Emmsybabes~]

Some of those wall posts are awful, it's bordering on porn.
I actually removed that part of it on facebook because some disgusted me and I also didn't want my littlins looking over my shoulder and seeing it!

Me too hun, I deleted mine.
even the ones that are supposed to be funny make me feel sick...

But then I am the one who got called a "total prude" the other day because I said I thought it was wrong that a pink paint that IMO would be the ones children would mostly go for, was called "sexy pink" :o

 

[hippy-chick]

I've just had a word with him and he looked shocked that I had looked at his emails and bebo, I've just made him a friend on facebook so he probably won't go on that again!

I told him i had deleted some stuff. going to join bebo myself now and make him my friend, so that he is aware that I can check up on him at anytime.

I don't want him to stop doing things that his friends are doing, but he knows I check up on him at all times. I check the history and favourites, etc. I check his phone too.

 

[ADiva1]

My 9 year old has a bebo account.
I've just been on it and had a lookie, not too bad, deleted a few things like pictures of guns and marajuana. (****!!!!)

Had a look at his email account, not too bad again (right)! Just a couple of rude emails with an obese woman sitting on a man's face. Have emailed the girl who sent it to him to tell her if she sends anything like that again i will be knocking at her parents door and showing them what she's sending.

I've now calmed down a bit.

Don't know whether I should be giving him this freedom, going to have a talk with him tomorrow about it, but want to be grown up about it (me that is).

eek! bit out of my comfort zone here.

Hey hun :hug:

I'm sure if you have a chat to your little one about internet stuff he will understand.

To be honest, I think he's a little bit too young for a Bebo account. Maybe when he starts secondary school....

This pc stuff is just really out of hand for all of us parents. My 16 year old lived on it all summer.

My 10 year old has a hotmail account and I wont let him have anything else. He chats to his frinds on MSN - who I do screen!

I'm just about to get parental control for my pc as homework HAS to be done!

 

[~Emmsybabes~]

I've just had a word with him and he looked shocked that I had looked at his emails and bebo, I've just made him a friend on facebook so he probably won't go on that again!

I told him i had deleted some stuff. going to join bebo myself now and make him my friend, so that he is aware that I can check up on him at anytime.

I don't want him to stop doing things that his friends are doing, but he knows I check up on him at all times. I check the history and favourites, etc. I check his phone too.

Dont forget though hun, you can make friends have only limited access to your page !
Wether or not your son will know this I don't know, just something to remember :hug:
I'm not for one minute saying your son will be doing anything wrong, but might be scared that someone else will do something and he will be in trouble, lol

 

[bubbabinks]

Me too hun, I deleted mine.
even the ones that are supposed to be funny make me feel sick...

But then I am the one who got called a "total prude" the other day because I said I thought it was wrong that a pink paint that IMO would be the ones children would mostly go for, was called "sexy pink" :o

I think I would have said the same, there are much better names.

 

[hippy-chick]

well I've just made him my friend on bebo and facebook, I've opened an account especially.
this will stop him doing anything, infact he will probably stop going on at all now that I'm watching him more closely.

I've had an email from the girl who sent him the email apologising and I've said thats good and we'll not talk about it again.

Going to have a proper chat with him tomorrow about it, but I have already made him aware that I know what he's been doing.

jeez, kids!

 

[Zo Zo]

I thought you had to be 14 to have a Bebo account ?

 

[Bebeautiful]

You know what? this thread is fantastic because the conversations in this thread are exactly the same as the ones that my husband and I have we are really strict on internet access for our children. In fact, they hardly have access to the internet because I am on it 24/7 :lol: and I intend to keep it that way for while :lol:. The children get access to it but it is limited, they tell me what their friends tell them and we have a real good discussion. The older ones do their homework and some surfing but the younger ones go on the cbeebies with me.

 

[* Helen *]

I have only opened myself a facebook recently as I never really saw the point in them really, but most of my friends on there are family that live away.

My boyfriends daughter on the other hand has a facebook, bebo, myspace and another but I cant remember the name. She is on it every hour she is not at school, during the 6 weeks holidays she used to be on it all night, then sleep all day.

I cant really get my head around it really, I think kids should be exactly that, going out enjoying themselves at the park and with friends, not talking to their friends via the net!! It a sad state of afair really, I never got the internet until I was 19 and managed without networking sites!

I definately think you did the right thing!

 

[~Emmsybabes~]

My children are on computers a lot, But as hippy chick I am a member of the site they go on, and it is a good site...
As well as that, they tend to go on msn I know the children they have on there, and their parents, so I feel comfortable should any problems arise, I can sort it with parents...

Then its just photo editing and stuff they like to do.
They go through phases with the pc to be honest, one min they love it, next minute its sooooo boring,
I prefer it now they are back in school though, less boredom time !

 

[xAnnaBannAx]

I had a bit of a problem about a week ago..........
My son who is 12 in years but much less in mind! lol speaks to his friends on msn which is absolutely fine by me...but this one day i put comp on and one of them lil grey boxes came up sayin beth so and so wants you to add them as a contact etc....so I thought it was ME that was logged in..I have a friend called beth so i just thought it must be her and shes changed her hotmail address....so i pressed the yes/add button...then immediately another box popped up...tania someone...i pressed yes...then there was another 3...all women...i was obviously a bit confused thinking who are all these girls adding me to their msn!....then i realised.....it wasnt my msn that was on...it was my sons ....so these girls were adding my son to their msn's....

THEN.....one of the girls said hello....so i just thought ill say hello n see who they are....she then proceeded to say things like....are you ready to see me on cam....im just getting myself ready now....!!
So i said ''who are you?''
and she ignored me and said things like ''get ready to see me naked..im going to the chat room now so come along and have a look''
(by this stage i was getting mad!) so I said ''this is not ashley this is his mother...he is only 12..tell me who you are and how you have this msn addy''
she ignored me and carried on saying stuff about getting naked on cam...she put a link onto the page to go onto a chatroom for adult fun!!!
She just kept going on and on and ignoring everything i said!! I got the feeling it wasnt actually a real person...more a computerised sort of thing.

I was really mad about it and couldnt believe it and still dont know how it happened....obviously i deleted and blocked all the women from the msn, i told my son about it and he looked as confused as me tbh!

 

[~Emmsybabes~]

omg see...see how easy it is ...
My 9 year old daughter had some strangers adding her, we found out her friends were giving her email addy to their friends...I told her to tell me everytime it happens, but If I am not around or in the bath or something, (because I am usually ALWAYS around lol) then she is to block it,
I have also saved her message history as she had one of the girls in her class saying lots of nasty words ...

I am totally shocked by this ...
I know it happens and stuff, but its just so scary....I still jump up and run infront of the TV waving my hands about singing lalalalalalallala if any rude looking things come on the kids think its hilarious lol

 

[xAnnaBannAx]

omg see...see how easy it is ...
My 9 year old daughter had some strangers adding her, we found out her friends were giving her email addy to their friends...I told her to tell me everytime it happens, but If I am not around or in the bath or something, (because I am usually ALWAYS around lol) then she is to block it,
I have also saved her message history as she had one of the girls in her class saying lots of nasty words ...

I am totally shocked by this ...
I know it happens and stuff, but its just so scary....I still jump up and run infront of the TV waving my hands about singing lalalalalalallala if any rude looking things come on the kids think its hilarious lol

i start flapping about if something gruesome comes on tele lol my son stayed at his best friends house a few months back...he came back the next day and said theyd watched SAW 4 dvd OMG i couldnt believe his friends parents allowed them to watch that kind of thing! I was horrified to think of the gruesome things he must have seen...he wasnt bothered of course...but no way would i have let him see anything like that! rude things dont bother me so much now hes at secondary school tbh (obviously i dont mean porn lmao

 

[Ophala]

I had a bit of a problem about a week ago..........
My son who is 12 in years but much less in mind! lol speaks to his friends on msn which is absolutely fine by me...but this one day i put comp on and one of them lil grey boxes came up sayin beth so and so wants you to add them as a contact etc....so I thought it was ME that was logged in..I have a friend called beth so i just thought it must be her and shes changed her hotmail address....so i pressed the yes/add button...then immediately another box popped up...tania someone...i pressed yes...then there was another 3...all women...i was obviously a bit confused thinking who are all these girls adding me to their msn!....then i realised.....it wasnt my msn that was on...it was my sons ....so these girls were adding my son to their msn's....

THEN.....one of the girls said hello....so i just thought ill say hello n see who they are....she then proceeded to say things like....are you ready to see me on cam....im just getting myself ready now....!!
So i said ''who are you?''
and she ignored me and said things like ''get ready to see me naked..im going to the chat room now so come along and have a look''
(by this stage i was getting mad!) so I said ''this is not ashley this is his mother...he is only 12..tell me who you are and how you have this msn addy''
she ignored me and carried on saying stuff about getting naked on cam...she put a link onto the page to go onto a chatroom for adult fun!!!
She just kept going on and on and ignoring everything i said!! I got the feeling it wasnt actually a real person...more a computerised sort of thing.

I was really mad about it and couldnt believe it and still dont know how it happened....obviously i deleted and blocked all the women from the msn, i told my son about it and he looked as confused as me tbh!

over the last few days i've had random girls trying to add me saying come to so and so chat room....it's just computerised spam. Just block them and there's a box to tick saying don't allow messages from people not on my contacts.

 

[UKRed]

I personally think Myspace or Facebook are more kid friendly, because with those two

• People have to be your friend to send you comments
• You can make your profile private, so people can't see anything without being a friend and most people don't add you if they can't see anything first.
• You can block applications like 'super wall' that brings in the porn images on facebook and you can disable HTML on myspace to avoid people sending photo's into comments.
• I also find with Facebook you don't get many 'random's' adding you.

I find with Bebo, you don't have much control over it, as I used to have an account. I got a lot of random 'comments' off people I don't know, a lot of random 'add me' requests from strangers and lots of dodgy messages.

I'd either keep a very close eye on his bebo, or get rid of it, let him have the facebook and just 'block application' on super wall etc. that way you're still a 'cool mum' but you can keep an eye on things too, thats my opinion though

 

[JakkiD]

Bebo accounts are for 13 years plus, so personally I wouldn't let him have an account until he's that age and even then, I'd be checking it all the time.

 

[ch4rli3]

Purely the reason I refuse to have a facebook account! I used to have Myspace but got so fed up with Pervy blokes and people I didnt know keep trying to add me as a friend!!

Even with Privacy settings, I think there is NO Privacy on these sites, all my friends use facebook and are completely obsessed!! They try to snoop at other peoples profiles, even if they are set to Private! Its ridiculous!

I understand that lots of people like to have them as a way of keeping in touch with friends etc, but me.... I prefer my personal friends to call me!!

I'm not looking forward to the day my son grows up and has a facebook/bebo/myspace profile!!!