Awareness about social platforms, not ban, is the remedy
Is a school right in unilaterally banning its students from having Facebook accounts? This decision of JK Singhania School at Thane has sparked a furore among city parents. Most parents believe that the school has overreacted by impinging on a personal aspect of its students' lives and that the regulation of online activity is best left to them.
Parvin Dadachandji, a child psychiatrist, believes that instead of ordering children off Facebook, it's better to educate them and make them aware of the perils of Facebook so that they don't misuse the social platform. "We should make them aware of the dangers of befriending strangers or that pictures can be used to their disadvantages. Instead of coming down in an authoritative way, we should empower them with knowledge and awareness," she said.
Dadachandji, though, believes that parents are giving excessive liberties to their children by giving them their own computers and smartphones. "Facebook is a good platform for interaction, but it has to be within limits. If you give a 13-year-old a laptop, then you're digging your own grave."
Anahita Shivdasani is an architect and a mother of a 13-year-old girl. "I'm hands on as a parent and I'm around them a lot. I'm not very pro-Facebook but I have explained to my daughter how it can get dangerous for her. Just telling your child that they can't be on Facebook is counter-productive. What stops them to make a fake ID and get on Facebook?"
Varkha Chulani, a clinical psychologist at Lilavati Hospital and a mother of an 11-year old, said banning Facebook for those who are 13 and over (the minimum age for joining Facebook is 13 years) borders on infringing on the rights of the child. "Generally, such punitive measures backfire. The child thinks 'if you try to stop me, I'll do it even more'."
Chulani said excessive liberties given by parents to their children can set a bad precedent. "Too much Facebook can severely hamper a child's social and communication skills. The platform becomes a safe haven for diffident children where they can hide their real personalities but this doesn't help them in the real world."
Is a school right in unilaterally banning its students from having Facebook accounts? This decision of JK Singhania School at Thane has sparked a furore among city parents. Most parents believe that the school has overreacted by impinging on a personal aspect of its students' lives and that the regulation of online activity is best left to them.
Parvin Dadachandji, a child psychiatrist, believes that instead of ordering children off Facebook, it's better to educate them and make them aware of the perils of Facebook so that they don't misuse the social platform. "We should make them aware of the dangers of befriending strangers or that pictures can be used to their disadvantages. Instead of coming down in an authoritative way, we should empower them with knowledge and awareness," she said.
Dadachandji, though, believes that parents are giving excessive liberties to their children by giving them their own computers and smartphones. "Facebook is a good platform for interaction, but it has to be within limits. If you give a 13-year-old a laptop, then you're digging your own grave."
Anahita Shivdasani is an architect and a mother of a 13-year-old girl. "I'm hands on as a parent and I'm around them a lot. I'm not very pro-Facebook but I have explained to my daughter how it can get dangerous for her. Just telling your child that they can't be on Facebook is counter-productive. What stops them to make a fake ID and get on Facebook?"
Varkha Chulani, a clinical psychologist at Lilavati Hospital and a mother of an 11-year old, said banning Facebook for those who are 13 and over (the minimum age for joining Facebook is 13 years) borders on infringing on the rights of the child. "Generally, such punitive measures backfire. The child thinks 'if you try to stop me, I'll do it even more'."
Chulani said excessive liberties given by parents to their children can set a bad precedent. "Too much Facebook can severely hamper a child's social and communication skills. The platform becomes a safe haven for diffident children where they can hide their real personalities but this doesn't help them in the real world."
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