The Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, thinks that under 13 year olds should be allowed on facebook and wants to make it that way.

In the UK, 43% of 9 to 12-year-olds have social networking profiles, along with 88% of 13 to 16-year-olds.

Most parents forbid their children to use Facebook, but the children sometimes use it anyway, saying they are older and maybe using a different name so that the parents won't be able to find them.

The pros and cons pf under 13's being on Facebook:

The Pro's:
They can talk to their friends.
Keep in contact with friends that maybe they've lost contact with.
Millions of under 13's are already on facebook, so they should adapt it to be more suitable for them.

The Con's:
Pedophiles could pretend to be younger and use a different name to get in touch with young girls or boys, and get them to meet up with them.
There can be bullying on facebook.
It's not safe.
You never know who you are talking to.

I think it is safe for under 13's to be on facebook because as long as they know what they are doing and they are sensible, no harm can come from it. It could only be dangerous if they let it. For example meeting up with someone they don't know.

I don't think making it official would make much of a difference, just that they could put all their real details on and that could be dangerous. But again, as long as they give out personal information on the web, it's okay.

If there was a different version for under 13's, i don't think many of them would use it. They would just keep on pretending to be older so that they could stay on the 'better' facebook. I don't see how they could make it appealing to under 13's, they would think that they were being treated like baby's.

That's my opinion. What do you think ?
Blog by Ellie, 15, Switzerland