Get ready for an onslaught of teen posts potentially coming your way.
Facebook announced that teens can now post their updates publicly, when previously their posts would only be sent out to friends and friends of friends. "Teens are among the savviest people using social media, and whether it comes to civic engagement, activism, or their thoughts on a new movie, they want to be heard," Facebook said in an announcement. Teens will get a notification the first few times they choose to post publicly, reminding them that the information they are about to share will be able to be seen by anyone. "While only a small fraction of teens using Facebook might choose to post publicly, this update now gives them the choice to share more broadly, just like on other social media services," the social network continued.
A big concern here (well, two) are pictures that teens will inevitably post that may be viewable to child predators, and cyber-bullying that can now be potentially read by thousands, leading to more insult for the bullying victim. It seems Facebook feels as if teens can be responsible on the social network, since they're "among the savviest people using social media," (emphasis added) but signs, at least to me, point to otherwise. Parents, please monitor your teens' actions on social media. Especially now.
[via HuffPost]
