Facebook Rules for my Tween

Despite Facebook's popularity especially among kids and teens, my hubby and I have maintained our rule not to let our kid, Gianne, have an FB account. We believe that the internet is not a very safe place for young kids. But while she was in 7th Grade last school year, it seemed like she was the only one among her peers who did not have an FB account. And since she was studying in a Science high school, her academic load has grown heavier and she needed all the support she can get in making the load easier. So we made a compromise. She was allowed to have an FB account, but only I knew the password. And with it was the promise for me to never pretend to be her while on FB because that would be dishonest (and that would be identity theft). 

So with the creation of her Facebook account, I gave her some rules to follow. So far, she has been trusting when it comes to the rules I set and she follows them knowing that there's logic behind it. Yes, for her to follow a rule, it has to be logical to begin with. As with any parent-child relationship, some rules may not work for all kids; they're just based on what works between the particular parent and the child, and in this case, us. This is still a work in progress and can be revised as the need arises. 

1. Keep in mind your reasons for having an FB account: 1) for easy contact with your classmates whenever you need to talk to them about school work, 2) to keep in touch with friends from your previous school.
2. Make Facebook a place for sharing, not for bragging. Sharing an occasional triumph or achievement is acceptable.
3. Show respect for others. Do not participate in any bullying or name-calling.
4. Keep your comments and interactions positive. Do not make comments that may put others down.
5. You have a complete keyboard. Write in complete sentences and spell out your words. No "textspeak."
6. Do not be “friends” with grown-ups, even family members, and that includes us parents. See rule number 1.
7. You can only use Facebook in my laptop and in the kitchen where I can see you and the computer screen.
8. Do not spend too much time on Facebook. Spend only a maximum of 30 minutes on a school night, and 1 hour on a weekend.
9. Do not share or forward any chain letters, short stories, or anecdotes especially if you have no way of verifying its authenticity. Let’s not take part in spreading what might turn out to be a hoax.
10. Always acknowledge the owner of the photo, quote, or written material that you upload or share.
11. Once it’s on Facebook, it can be shared, forwarded, quoted- it can end up anywhere. Do not post photos, status updates, or anything that can be misinterpreted, misunderstood, and can come back to haunt you. On the same note, be careful with how you conduct yourself in public.
12. As a security measure, do not share too much information such as your phone number and address.
13. Do not add (as friend) people you do not know personally or have not met in person.
14. Do not limit your social interaction to Facebook. Face-to-face and personal interaction is most important.