Facebook
developing technology to allow access to children under 13
Facebook is developing technology that would allow children younger than 13 years old to use the social-networking site under parental supervision, a step that could help the company tap a new pool of users for revenue but also inflame privacy concerns.
Mechanisms being tested include connecting children's accounts to
their parents' and controls that would allow parents to decide whom their kids
can "friend" and what applications they can use, people who have
spoken with Facebook executives about the technology said.
The under-13 features could enable Facebook and its partners to
charge parents for games and other entertainment accessed by their children,
the people said.
'We are in continuous dialogue ... about how best to help parents
keep their kids safe in an evolving online environment.'
- Facebook statement
Facebook currently bans users under 13. But many kids lie about
their ages to get accounts, putting the company in an awkward position
regarding a federal law that requires sites to obtain verifiable parental
consent before collecting personal data from children.
Any attempt to give younger kids access to the site would be
extraordinarily sensitive, given regulators' already heightened concerns about
how Facebook protects user privacy.
But Facebook, concerned that it faces reputational and regulatory
risks from children already using the service despite its rules, believes it
has little choice but to look into ways of establishing controls that could
formalize their presence on the site, people familiar with the matter said.
