Should Facebook open the doors to preteens?

Facebook is looking at ways to allow children under the age of 13 to use the social network with their parents' permission, says a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Should Facebook allow preteens to sign up? (iStock)Although Facebook's terms of service don't officially allow preteens onto the site, a survey by Consumer Reports suggests that millions of them are doing it anyway.

Other research says many parents actually help their children lie to get onto Facebook.

The company bars those under the age of 13 from joining to comply with the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which includes provisions to protect children's privacy and restricts marketing to children.

The Wall Street Journal cited unnamed sources within Facebook saying that the service is working on a way to connect a child's Facebook profile to his or her parents', allowing them to change privacy settings and veto friend requests.

Facebook replied to the report with a statement, saying, "We are in continuous dialogue with stakeholders, regulators and other policymakers about how best to help parents keep their kids safe in an evolving online environment."

Do you think Facebook opening its doors to children would be a good idea? Let us know what you think.



(This survey is not scientific. Results are based on readers' responses.)