I don't think FB is appropriate for users generally as the CEO is a souless amoral man-boy who will sell your data and personal thoughts for a profit. The Zuk showed complete lack of regard for investors during the IPO. He'll be under pressure now more than ever to justify the massively over inflated stock price, so user beware.

I laughed at the recent story that FB is mentioned in 1/3 of all 2011 divorce petitions. FB is nothing but trouble...just so you can see what your ex(es) are up to?

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FB is a place where people who dont get attention go to brag and tell everybody what they are doing every minute of every hour of their pathetic day - Most kids just post pictures and chat with their friends, so its fine, but email is a better way for kids or IM

FB is an easy out for people who like to say they have friends and pretend they have relationships with others. A push of a button and click of a key can never replace hearing a friend's voice and having a real relationship.

Child predators, perverts and various & sundry sickos "likes" this update......

@ Wayne's World - the statistic you correctly cited is the only thing a mature adult needs to know about Facebook. There is nothing good or true that Facebook can't destroy -- privacy, dignity, marriages, parent-child relationships, peaceful quiet, proper human communication. There are other alarming facts about FB and how it wrecks marriages in this article -- http://blogs.smartmoney.com/advice/2012/05/21/does-facebook-wreck-marriages/

No, I don't think the ban should be lifted. Truthfully, I question if 13 year olds are emotionally ready for the pitfalls of social media.
As for the parents who allow their children under the age of 13 to use it, well, if they are comfortable teaching their children that it is okay to lie as long as you think it is harmless entertainment then I suppose that is their decision to make.

If you are looking for full parental control that monitors & controls everything kids do online (including Facebook) , as well as blocks inappropriate websites, and does linguistic analysis to watch out for dangerous behavior -
such as internet predators or cyberbullys -
check out McGruff SafeGuard's Parental Control system:
http://www.GoMcgruff.com

You may remember McGruff “The Crime Dog” - Take A Bite Out of Crime - from your own childhood

For FREE iPad/iPhone parental control, check out http://www.GoMcGruff.com/browser

@Journey The only "online" that existed in 1982 were dial-up modem BBS and Compuserve, and you were rich if you could afford anything faster than a 300 baud modem (in modern terms, 1/100,000th of 4G speed).

Perhaps this poll should be named; "should Facebook regulate your child's internet usage so you don't have to bother to do so yourself".

My sister is under thirteen with a facebook and was such a bad choice for my parents to allow. She spends a ridiculous amount of time on mindless games, kids need to stimulated in another way besides the Internet.

The internet is laced with web owners who mislead those using their sites. I had a twitter account and posted for several months straight but decided to give it up. I haven't made a single twitter post on my own profile or any other on that site in four years. I still get those email alerts every week that so and so is now following you on twitter.

Have a Beautiful Park in my neighborhood. To bad no kids go to it anymore. Only mothers with little kids I see there now, They get out of the house because their other kids are on Facebook all the time!!

Jessica,Could not have said it any better,SO TRUE!!

This is a non issue. Whether or not Facebook allows it is irrelevant. It is up to parents to be parents.

Sounds no different than attempting to legalize prostitution or drugs in the hopes of making it safer. To those parents with children under 13 that let them get a Facebook account, I agree that you are teaching your kids that it is OK to lie. There are reasons why kids are restricted at different ages from activities they haven't learn to handle yet--should we give an 18 year old a bottle of booze to celebrate or should he/she wait to their 21st b-day when its actually legal? There is no educational, emotional, social, or any developmental value in a child having a FB account. Last weekend we saw a "parent" (I use the term loosely) who took her 3 kids (under 13) to a very violent movie that ended at 1:00a.m. Do people have any common sense anymore?

That's so funny you say this Leon...I was just talking about this this morning. Instead of all the "fixes" organizations are pushing, ex. dieting, anti-bullying, etc ..., how about basic parenting skills for some who are in desperate need of it. Oh wait that might hurt someone's feelings.

I have to disagree with a lot of the commenters here. Facebook and other social media are here to stay, our children need to learn to use them wisely. This is an opportunity for parents to guide choices made on Facebook, get involved and not just let them out on their own. It's a powerful medium, great for those who are careful and use it with some forethought, but it can have some very unpleasant consequences for those who don't.

I too saw a child of no more than 5 or 6 at Snow White, not good (and yes it's not a great work of art). One of my boys were encouraged to see a train safety movie in Morris Plains when he was that age and he didn't sleep for a week. A huge error on my part, I assumed the train exhibit workers would take kid's ages into account.

when i was a freshman in college facebook first came out.- it WAS a great tool. the majority of your friends were people on your campus, you could arrange groups around classes you shared with other student and discuss the class in facebook groups. it was also a great way to hear about campus events or social events. or meet people with similiar hobbies or set up clubs. not too mention helped me out with a couple coeds.
status's and wall posts were not as risky because they were only seen by your peers (people the same age and probably similiar senses of humor).
once they opened it up to people high schoolers and older poeple it was ruined

The problem with FB is that it brings out the voyeuristic and obsessive-compulsive instincts in people. I know so many people that "friend" others just to see what they are up to, and usually these are people they hardly even know. I looked over my cousin's shoulder one day as she was looking through wedding photos on FB. I asked who that was and she replied "I don't know". If a stranger walked up to you with a stack of photos and asked you to look at them you would think they are crazy. But as soon as someone (anyone) puts photos online, they suddenly, somehow become interesting. Very odd behavior.

I had a FB account for about a year before cancelling it, and I have found that I am overall happier by not getting constant updates about what everyone else is doing. There are much better things I can be doing with my time.

I think the answers should have included a choice about under thirteens being allowed with strict parental control. Children need to be taught right from wrong. keeping them from Facebook does nothing to prepare them for the inevitability of their using the system. I'll always remember an interview with Nadia Comenici where she said her trainers never taught her how to eat properly...they just withheld food. When she stopped competing, she blew up like a balloon and took years to learn how to take care of herself....it was traumatizing for her. I think we need to trust our kids and take care of them...not keep them in bubbles and then throw them to the wolves. Besides...most people on Facebook are NOT wolves!

Short the stock. It's going down and no bottom seen in the near future. They want 12 year old kids to join. Things are getting real desperate. Privacy? There is no telling what this desperate company that changes privacy rules as it sees fit to make money will do. I would not trust these marketeers as far as I can pick up a truck and throw it.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Teach your kids!! If they don't NOSE, they will not learn. Starting kids today in pre-school with computers.Teach them what is appropreate and what is not. Spend time with your kids,they grow up to fast.They are only as good as what you teach them.As for Facebook, MO MONEY,MO MONEY,MO MONEY!!!

Facebook is the fruit of the poisonous tree----the more you ban it, the more people want it. Anybody can get a FB account all you need is a name and a email address.

I think the media vastly overstates the usage and impact of social media. No real reason for kids under 13 to go on, but if you do let your kid on, just make sure they friend you and you know their password, and you can check on them anytime you want. Facebook is actually better and safer than other sites. But everyone should just keep in mind that despite press accounts, the average Facebook user only spends 13 minutes per day on the site (Twitter users only spend about 4 minutes per day on the site).

http://gigaom.com/2012/06/07/why-ill-let-my-daughter-shape-her-own-digital-identity/

I for one have my facebook completely strapped down with privacy settings so only people I give my actually facebook address to can find it. I only add people I know in real life and mainly use it to keep in touch with friends from high school and college.

If we (in general) were to keep children's accounts locked down like I do and restrict their account to family and perhaps friends from school, I see little issue. As long as parents are doing their job and supervising their child on the site (like they should be doing for ANY internet usage at that age), there is no reason for a child to avoid one of the best ways to keep in touch with friends or family who live far away!

not nice

Honestly you're all just wasting your time. Kids are going to make facebooks if they want to, and there isn't much you can do other than not allow it at home in your vision. Good luck with the online arguing though, I'm sure it's productive.