Good Question

(WCCO) In our digital era, there's a new major milestone popping up for pre-teens and teenagers. Along with the first kiss and first driver's license, it's the first Facebook page. But how old is old enough to join a social networking site?

"I would like a Facebook now," said 14-year-old Tara Garten, who, until now, has been banned from having a Facebook page by her mother Julie.

Tara, of course, thinks she's old enough. Her mother, on the other hand, said "I'm still on the fence, I'm not sure."

MySpace and Facebook attempt to provide guidance on the topic. Facebook's rules require people to be 13-years-old to have a page, MySpace sets the minimum age at 14.

"Not all 13 year olds might be ready for Facebook. It does depend on the child and it depends on the family," said Christine Greenhow, Ph.D., a University of Minnesota learning technologies researcher.

According to Greenhow, more than 60 percent of people between the ages of 12 and 17 have social networking pages.

"We didn't grow up marinating in the Internet, but these kids did," said Greenhow.

She said before parents allow their children to join these kinds of sites, it's important to have a serious discussion about the sites' Terms of Service and privacy protections.

"So ask them to do some investigative reporting and talk to them about what those things mean," she suggested.

Greenhow's research is exploring ways that social networking can be a positive force in learning.

"Facebook and MySpace are key parts in staying in the social loop," she explained. "So if the majority of young people are using these sites, if you're left out of that group, that's a disadvantage to you socially."

In addition, research indicates that being socially connected is a key factor in keeping young people enrolled in school.

"So if kids are getting a greater sense of being connected, it may turn out to be a good thing," she said.

In addition, because the world is becoming a digital world, Greenhow said that educators are paying more attention to the concept of digital literacy.

"Think about it as a place to showcase your talents: artwork, writing, things you do well that you might want to show it off," she said.

Being a part of a site like this can become way to become more digitally literate.

Of course, supervision is key with young people, said Greenhow, and the sites are making it easier than ever to keep information within a sphere of friends. Knowing and using the privacy settings can help keep the sites insulated from strangers, she said.

"You might just want to talk to them about how, when, how often, and have a plan on how this fits into other activities," said Greenhow.

She suggested that parents join Facebook or MySpace to get familiar with the options and the settings. Some parents may want to add their children as "friends," but Greenhow cautioned that that's not a simple solution.

"You would never sit with son or daughter in the lunchroom and it's a little bit like that," she said.

Parents also need to be prepared for their children to have access to all the information they are putting online.

Instead, agreeing to check-in periodically or "spy" on the site may be a better system, she said.

"Social network sites are more popular than e-mail. They get more hits than Google. Facebook is the number one social network site in the world with 200 million users. It has woven into our lives," according to Greenhow.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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