Skip to Content

Facebook Stays Quiet on Plans to Let Children Under 13 Join

The social network dodges questions from lawmakers, saying its decision is not yet final.

Facebook is dodging questions about plans to open its network to young children, two concerned House lawmakers said today. In June, the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook was exploring technology that could allow kids on the site under parental supervision. Responding to a letter from the House representatives, Facebook explained it had not yet made a final decision about officially allowing the under-13 audience. It also did not answer questions about what kinds of data it would collect or advertisements it might show to them. 

The company faces pressure to protect the millions of children who lie about their age and use the site anyway. Concerns include predators and the troubling rise of cyber-bullying. But opening up to a massive new market of users won’t hurt Facebook’s business either, and that is what has privacy advocates concerned. As Facebook tries to grow its use and revenues on mobile devices, it’s interesting to think that these children are the first generation growing up as smartphone-natives. 

Keep Reading

Most Popular

DeepMind’s cofounder: Generative AI is just a phase. What’s next is interactive AI.

“This is a profound moment in the history of technology,” says Mustafa Suleyman.

What to know about this autumn’s covid vaccines

New variants will pose a challenge, but early signs suggest the shots will still boost antibody responses.

Human-plus-AI solutions mitigate security threats

With the right human oversight, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence can help keep business and customer data secure

Next slide, please: A brief history of the corporate presentation

From million-dollar slide shows to Steve Jobs’s introduction of the iPhone, a bit of show business never hurt plain old business.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.