MovieChat Forums > Cyberbully (2011) Discussion > THIS is why Facebook is NOT for kids!

THIS is why Facebook is NOT for kids!

posted 13 years ago by jewlvelan
11 replies | jump to latest

This movie sucked big sweaty beach-balls. That being said, it's a great example of why sites like Facebook (which it was obviously emulating) are NOT for kids and teens.

Facebook was created to be a way for college students to keep up with old friends from high school and to create new friends while in unfamiliar, often large, campuses. It was NOT created for whiny teens who are too full of hormones to use the internet properly, to chat with their "BFFs". Teens right now will friend ANYONE on Facebook, regardless of whether they know or even like those people. My little sister is a great example. She is a high school freshman and just got a Facebook account. She promptly got friend invites from TONS of people at her school, many of which she didn't know and several of which she didn't like! I had to show her how to un-friend people who she didn't WANT to be friends with, and cautioned her to only add those people that she actually liked. BAM! Cyber-bullying nipped right in the bud!

So many kids get online and go on a FRIEND-FRENZY, accepting friend invites willy-nilly, which is not only stupid but unsafe. Obviously those a-holes in your class are STILL going to be a-holes online, so why in the world would you friend them? Why would you friend complete strangers who you've never met in real life? This is how cyber-bullying, stalking, and pedophilia happens, boys and girls.

Oh, and if someone hacks your account: delete the hacked posts, change your password, or delete and recreate your profile. Simple. If you don't know how to do these things (and are too lazy to Google it), you do not belong on the internet. Running crying to your mom and dad about how meeeeeaaaaaannnnn everyone is shows your immaturity. Grow up of gtfo.

End Rant.

[–] rosek102 13 years ago

I agree a thousand percent. And the thing is, it isn't just high schoolers using Facebook. I've heard of kids as young as fifth grade (from my former grammar school) getting accounts. It's just sick. You're absolutely right--Facebook was created in the first place for college students, and I think they made a mistake by opening it up to the general public. A fifth grade child has no business being on Facebook. Maybe that sounds old-fashioned to some, but the accessibility that today's kids have is pretty sad.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] Irish_Mist 13 years ago

I completely agree! I can relate on the whole family aspect. My two twin 14 year old cousins each have a facebook account. One of them can handle it; the other cannot. Him and all of his little immature friends are always stirring the pot. One girl publicly wrote on his wall about how some girl writes about him in her notebook all the time. Everyone chimed in about how nasty she was..... yada yada yada. These kids basically think they're hot stuff and will stop at nothing. Their boundaries don't exist because they don't know any or just don't care.

She could have easily stopped her problems and deleted her account. Even if she didn't, she could have deleted "friends" and set her page to private. But you're absolutely right! These crazy kids SHOULD NOT have facebook accounts. Period. If parents wised up, they would PROHIBIT their underage kids from having one.

[–] keep-flying 13 years ago

Don't exaggerate, who else is it for? You simply have to use it right. If it wasn't facebook, it'd be netlog or whatever. A site like that for teens to get together WILL exist in one form or another. So be glad it's at least maintained a bit.

[–] chiibug 13 years ago

^ I agree. The OP is acting like it's only the "adults" who have the need to reconnect with old friends and such. :|

[–] UpperEastSider 10 years ago



Be thankful for every new day! 

[–] ridethesteamboatt 13 years ago

i don't think you're giving certain kids/teens enough credit.

first of all, this movie was a very extreme case of a social networking website. i mean, who is really facebook friends with people who bully them? i for one have my profile private to people who aren't my friend, and specific "bullys" blocked.

and, as a teen myself, i certainly do not friend ANYONE on facebook.
and as for your "meeting strangers online," i can vouch that college facebook groups are great for meeting future peers.

there's always ways for teens and kids to be cautious online as long as they are being smart about it. youre rude to assume anyone who isn't an adult is immature and needs to grow up. give the youth some credit, this movie was pretty unrealistic and we really aren't THAT hopeless.

[–] rosek102 13 years ago

Well, I do agree with you on that to an extent. Whenever my parents or a relative start going off on a tangent about the dangers and overall stupidity of Facebook, one of the first things I always say is "Well, it's a matter of being smart about it and using it the way it was intended to be used." I know certain 20-something people who are just as bad as some teenagers when it comes to using Facebook responsibly. They'll fill up their pages with melodramatic "My life sucks, nobody loves me" type of stuff, or they'll reveal every little detail about their lives to the point where you want to say "Nobody cares THAT much". Or, they'll use it to trash talk others and just be immature in general. It can be as much of a problem for grown adults as it is for teens and tweens--I'll agree with that. Adults have to be careful, too, because the way technology is today, one tasteless picture or negative comment that they post on Facebook could get back to a colleague, boss, etc...

I still think that it's silly and unnecessary for grammar school-aged kids to have Facebook accounts, but for the most part, with teens, college kids, and adults, it all comes down to using it responsibly. Some can handle it, and others cannot. Some use it for the purpose of reconnecting with old friends and keeping in touch, the way it was meant to, while others abuse it.

Also, in response to ridethesteamboatt's comment on giving youth some credit...yes, it's true that not ALL teenagers are like that, but a lot of them are, and that's why movies like this need to be made. You'd be surprised to find that too many kids are every bit as petty, immature, and misguided as they are portrayed here. Of course, that doesn't make up the entire teen population, but it's definitely a growing problem that needs to be stopped.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] maniubao 8 years ago

I may be a little late to this thread lol, but I need to tell you that you are very misinformed about teens and how they use technology. Of course horrific events like these happen, but they are a minority. Everyone I know, from most social to most shy, knows that cyber bullying is a very serious issue and police and law will be involved. I have never seen anything happen as serious as this in my whole life. And any snarky comments that may slip by will receive a negative response or "that's not cool, dude." I've seen people arguing lightheartedly about sports and apologizing publicly after! Please don't hold ALL of youth accountable.

As students, we are busy almost all the time. I find that Facebook is a wonderful little tool that makes your life a lot easier. A lot of clubs and teams I am part of use Facebook as the only form of communication with us. You can find all your future meetings/tournaments in one convenient place. Also, you can chat with your friends about homework, and even catch up with people you have known in the past (summer camp friends, relatives, grade school friends, etc). Of course, no one is going to accept a friend request from a John Smith who lives in Massachusetts. We have been taught from a young age by school and parents about internet safety. Facebook also has a lovely feature that allows you to block people, decline friend requests, report issues etc. when you feel uncomfortable.

We use social media the same way everyone else does. We post about our travels, food, school experiences, funny experiences, friends, selfies, photography, etc. What we post will get a lot of likes and positive responses.

Of course, I am not saying the terrible cyber bullying should be ignored or regarded as an abnormality. I simply want to state that it is not fair to hold a whole demographic accountable for the events in a movie (which is 100% fiction and created by adults). There is nothing to shield kids about: there is no porn, corruption, or other deep-web qualities in social media. It is a convenient and safe platform that provides a positive and easygoing environment for everyone. Teens know how to use it in a manner that is respectful to themselves and their peers. It is no different from how everyone else uses it.

Hope this helps!

[–] Dsx2006 (188) 5 years ago

Yeah, it helped you guys at Facebook to do damage control... I have always despised social media. Using them is adictive, banal and non-productive. I hope this dies out some day in the future, for now it is sadly stronger than ever.