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Facebook tries to friend youngsters, but not in a creepy way

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:26PM EST
BGR

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Facebook is apparently trying to get kids 13 and younger just as hooked on its social network as teens and adults already are. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Mark Zuckerberg & co. are working on a version of the site that would let children under the age of 13 engage in social networking under strict supervision from their parents. Among other things, parents will have final say on whom their children can friend on the site, as well as which applications they can use. Anonymous sources have told WSJ that the company is pushing to add a “Facebook-for-kids” option because many children are already creating their own Facebook accounts by simply lying about their ages. The new version of the site would at least give parents the ability to directly control their children’s experience and alert their children to potential privacy risks, the sources said.

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Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.