Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Facebook admits it is powerless to stop young users setting up profiles


Director of policy for the UK and Ireland admits company not found a mechanism to eliminate the problem of underage users

Facebook is that almost anything can be done to stop young users to set up profiles, academic research suggests that more than a third of the UK aged 9-12 now their own page on the social network.The world's largest social network, with more than 1 billlion registered global users, to control under-13s are not allowed to have profiles and also have strict rules for policing explicit content and prevent bullying and grooming.However, there is no verification of the severity of age of Facebook users and create some research estimates just over one third -% 34 - 9 to 12 year olds in the UK have a profile on a social network. This estimate demographic around the world is that a quarter of Facebook profiles.Simon Milner, director of policy for Facebook UK and Ireland, acknowledged that it was "tricky" subject to the company. "We have not found a mechanism to eliminate the problem [of underage users]," Milner said."Facebook users have a rule that is more than 13, as YouTube does not know a lot of people," he said, speaking at the Oxford Media Convention on Wednesday. "It's not because we think that Facebook is safe just because the U.S. law about children's privacy online. So, we have a global rule."Sonia Livingstone, professor of social psychology at the London School of Economics, Oxford occasion said that her research has shown that 34% of the UK 9 to 12 year olds have a Facebook profile."I would assume that [figure] going up and be taken for profiles with younger children," she said. "If parents want to say only for young children, do not go on Facebook ', we were listening. Teenagers do not, but younger children."Milner replied: "I am very well aware of the research that a lot of 11 and 12 years old and younger Facebook accounts and their age [during the online signup process] ... and in some cases actively assist parents."In this environment it is difficult to know what to do. You can not make everyone prove their age ... would get privacy advocates up in arms."Milner, who said he was a parent and did not let young children use Facebook, said it is not "condemn" parents to help children use the networking site."We do not condone it, not to support and not condemn it either," he said, pointing out that it is like a children's parents decide to take films like Harry Potter series is that they strictly not allowed to attend about old film classification rules.He also said that monitoring of Facebook own site strict rules on the matter, such as nudity and pornography and that the company would never allow an outside firm to take on the role of police."We applied standards and the idea that someone outside be anathema decisions with us," he said. "The focus must not harm [users] offense. Offensive We leave a lot of talk up there, that is also true of a lot of similar platforms."He said that Facebook is tough policies to eliminate bullying and effort grooming the social network.Milner said that of particular concern when young children decide to state their age as over 18 on Facebook. Users under the age not appear in the search function a Facebook profile, and strangers can not see links to friends.He said that most parents worry about bullying, grooming, self-harm and suicide related material, and later explicit content, such as pornography.
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