Power Pros Forum

Hey guys, I need some advise. This is kind of long so if you are too lazy to read it, I have convieniantly included a "TL;DR" section. Just skip down to that. Thanks.

All my friends have facebooks and I don't and I was going to ask my parents if I could get one. I never asked them before so I don't really know what they would say. Normally I would think there is no way they would let me get one, but in the last year my parents have been giving me a lot more freedoms. For example, they let me stay up later, I can now go to movies without an adult, and I am allowed to play some M games (not all of them but at least now my parents will think about it if I ask for one). So I figure maybe they will at least consider letting me get a facebook. My little sister is a year younger than me, she is 11 and in sixth grade and she asked for a facebook and my parents said no. She promised she wouldn't put pictures on it but they said no anyway, because they said she was too young and some of her friend's parents didn't let their daughters have accounts. However, my sister has asked multiple times and my mom has at least thought about it. I really have no friends who don't have facebooks, so no parents can back mine up. I don't really see the big deal about an extra year I have over my sister but my parents do. I can go to the movies alone and she can't. I can stay up until 10:30 and she has to go to bed at 9:30. However, my mom did let my little sister get a YouTube account.

My brother got his Facebook in eighth grade, and he got his first cell phone in seventh grade. I got my first cell phone in sixth grade and I can play M games a bit earlier than my brother was allowed to. I guess being oldest does have some disadvantages. Anyway, if my parents let me have those a year earlier, I suppose they would let me have a facebook a year earlier.

I know that eventually they will let me have one. If I waited a year from now, I would be 14 going on 15 and entering high school. My parents think that 15 is old enough for a facebook and they think that in high school, I would need one because that is the only way high school kids communicate with each other so I could use it for school work. However, if I asked for an account now, I could say that I am old enough, I am going into eighth grade, all of my friends have one and since it is summertime, it would be a great time to ask because I could say "I want to keep in touch with my friends over the summer because not all of them go to the same camp as me". Then I could say that they let my sister have a YouTube and post videos of herself to strangers, so why can't I have a facebook to talk to my friends.

I would ask my brother for advise but he would just tell me I don't need a facebook. He knows that isn't true and that nobody NEEDS a facebook, but he would tell me that it would serve absolutely no purpose for me. He is just saying that because he wants to feel empowered since he is 4 years older than me. So I ask for your advise instead.

TL;DR: So basically, who here has a Facebook, and how old were you when your parents let you get one? If you were me, would you ask for one now, or wait a year and see if my parents change their minds?

OK, I just got a facebook at the end of May, and I'm 13. 13 is the minimum age for a facebook, which is probably why your sister can't have one. Facebook has 3 privacy settings. You can set things so that everyone can see them, friends and friends of friends can see them, or only friends can see them. If you promise to set most if not all personal info to friends only and only send friend requests to people you know in real life, that should help you win them over. Hope I could help

Well what did you say to your parents so that they would let you have one?

Uh... nothing. Nothing at all. They went a week before I told them and they were completely cool with it. Yeah, my parents are pretty loose, so you'll need someone else to help you with that part

I've had a facebook for a few years, my parents didn't "let me get one", I just got one, and if you really care about it, you might as well ask, I don't see what the big deal is about facebook but maybe you need to have actual friends to understand.

My mom and my sister actually made me a Facebook and tried forcing me to use it because I was so out of touch with all of my relatives. I didn't care about Facebook at the time and hardly used it at first, but I'm on it every day now. I think was 14 when they did that.

I have a facebook, and I just asked my parents about a month ago if I could have one. They said yes. I think you should just ask them if you can have a facebook, and see what happens.

I would avoid facebook. Go outside, use email/phone/text/face-to-face. FaceBook is a pretty massive waste of time, in my opinion - surveys, games, useless posts and crapola. Plus, it steals personal data and resells it, so if you want your name/address/email resold to thousands of companies, by all means. I know 'everyone is using it', but 5 years ago it was all MySpace all the time, and in another 2 years it will be something else, and FaceBook will be in the trash.

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I try to avoid that addiction. Visiting a few forums every day and checking email are bad enough. FaceBook starts off as a way to network and keep up with friends, but soon it becomes something you check every day, then every few hours, just because. So instead of being productive or constructive, millions of people are online reading each other's meaningless posts and throwing hours and hours of their lives into this massive time sink.

I know that if you're younger, it may be useful to keep up with all your friends, etc - fine. Just try to keep it in check, avoid spending too much time on it, and move on when the fad dies and the next one comes along.

I had one before and my parents didn't know but for me it was too risky so I shut it down. But my neighbor asked if I had one and I said no, so he asked my mom and she said "If I want one, I can". So They're cool with it. (BTW, I signed up when I was 12)

I have a Facebook, but my parents don't know about it.
However, I don't have my own picture as my profile picture, and set the privacy so that only my friends know what I look like (since a girl in my class posted a couple pics of me).
I've had mine since December though, and either my parents know and don't care or, more likely, they don't know.

If I get one I will ask my parents first. If I try to keep it a secret they will find out eventually, the computer is in the family room and they would see because someone else is ALWAYS in that room. I could clear the history every single time I go on but that would be a pain. I will just ask and if they say no I will just wait a year, I guess it couldn't hurt to ask.

Definatly wait till your 13 to get it, don't run the risk of someone realizing you're not 13 yet. I've wanted a facebook, and my moms cool with it if she can help me set up privacy settings and stuff. she is one there all the time right now these days though, so I can attest its addictive. It is a good way just to hang out and keep up with friends and stuff though, but as Alloutwar said, Email, IM, Texting are better ways in my opinon. Your friends have to have phones/accounts on these places to do this stuff though.

Overall, it appears that you're the same age as me, 13, though there are contradictions in your story. You say your sister is a year younger than you, 11, making you 12. However, you say this time next year, you will be 14 on 15 meaning rite now your 13 on 14. I assume you ment your sister is a grade below you in school, therefore a year younger than you?

Either way, it appears your parents are a little leanent. My are pretty fair, not to strict but not to loose either. Wait till you're 13 and ask, if you're not 13 already. Whatever you do though, don't make one without your parent's permission. I've got a couple of friends that got in big time trouble for that.

Im probally getting mine in a few months,personally I dont see a point for FB at age 11/12,but every girl in my grade has one,and a few of my friends have it,so I dunno

Sorry I should have been more clear. I am 13 my birthday is in March. My sister is a year and a half younger than me, her birthday is in August. I was saying should I wait until I am 14 or try and go with the "I want to keep in touch with my friends over the summer" story?

Ironic, my birthday is in March too! Anyway, my mom was actually planning to suprise me by making my account before I could ask her to help and then let me have at it. By the way, how'd the request go?