According to the magazine Next Generation, the past two years have seen an outbreak of new Facebook users under the age of 13 who are young, single, and ready to mingle. Even so, parents are worried their children may not get the full experience of Facebook; one loving mother, Carol, 28, even said in an interview, “I am worried my 12-year-old daughter won’t get enough friends or likes on Facebook.” Another concerned mother, Ruth, 30, worried about her son’s lack of Facebook posts: “I just don’t want people to think that he does nothing. I constantly encourage him to post a selfie with an inspirational quote and pictures of his meals, I also encourage him to ‘check in’ to let all his friends know where he is 24/7.”

Before this technological advance parents used to worry about how socially and culturally aware their children were; thanks to Facebook, those worries no longer exist. In a recent survey by New Generation, 68% of parents agreed with the statement that Facebook was making their children more aware about the world around them and also more compassionate. Rick, 35, shared, “Thanks to Facebook my daughter is even more aware of the world around her than I am.” He elaborated, “Recently, a friend from Japan contacted her and asked for shelter because his home had been destroyed in the earthquake. She quickly gave our address and in order to not disturb us he asked for times we would not be at home, such a nice fellow.”

Another poll from Next Generation showed that 79% of parents agree with the statement that thanks to Facebook they did not have to constantly worry about the dangers of the outside world. Those dangers are replaced by the safety of four walls and a computer that connects only virtually to every corner of the world. Parents of a pre-teen daughter shared their thoughts on this new found safety, “We can sleep in peace knowing that we don’t have to worry about her falling off her bike or facing the stress of making new friends in person.”

Even though all parents of pre-teens from around the world see the benefits of Facebook, they all agree that they face a new terror that no parent ever faced before: the stressful wait for their child to accept their friend request. Once parents would kill to have a conversation with their child at the dinner table, but times have changed. Only the technologically challenged try to communicate with their child via table instead of computer. A self-proclaimed “tech-savvy mother” said, “I sent my son a friend request months ago, but I just don’t think he completely knows how to use Facebook yet; it took me three months to get the hang of Facebook so I am sure he will accept soon, but the wait is killing me.”
So what is a parent to do in this technological world? The answer is simple: make a fake Facebook profile. As long as it is appears to have nothing to do with you, your child is sure to accept in less than 24 hours.

So not only is the wait over, but you also get to like all their post and pictures, which will immediately boost their coolness and self- confidence. You, as well as the hundreds of strangers on their friend list, will also be informed of where your child is and what he/she is up to. Yes, parents, a new era has begun.

Another concern that comes with Facebook, although not as important as a pending friend request, is online bullying. Things are not like they were in the olden times, when you had the comfort of knowing your child was only bullied at school and was safe at home. Facebook allows bullying to transfer from the school yard to the internet. And being called a slut on Facebook is a hundred times worse than being called a slut in the girl’s bathroom.

If your child is facing online bullying, you can just bully the child causing your child pain and any good parent would do that. Bully them ferociously that their parents will be forced to make a fake Facebook profile to bully you. May, 32, described her experience with online bullying, “This girl was calling my son stupid, so in return, as a 12-year-old girl, I started the rumor that she was really a boy; since the backlash of that she has not returned online or to school; that taught her a lesson”.

While many parents embrace this new technological era, some parents refuse to allow their children to be part of it. These parents would prefer to see their child roam outdoors instead of spending hours in front of a computer screen roaming the internet and befriending strangers. Judy, 40, described how she dealt with her child who was an online bully: “I just sat down with her and explained that what she was doing was wrong and I took away her internet privileges.” She further remarked, “A child should not be allowed to frequent the internet without parent supervision”. Ben, 42, described how he only allowed his daughter to use the internet under his supervision: “She is only 11 so whenever she is online I am there with her and every now and then I tell her to show me her Facebook to ensure that she is being as safe as possible.” To this nonsense Carol, whom you remember worries that her daughter will not be popular enough online remarked, “Those parents should be ashamed of themselves; I don’t know how they sleep at night.”