Children & facebook. Scary thing that just happened here!

[wdwmom0f3]

The other night my DD brought her laptop to me for me to look at a profile of a girl who claimed to be a cheerleader at a well know college not far from us, who had added my DD as a friend a few months ago. The girl has lots of friends in common with my DD, most if not all are also cheerleaders. (no reason to add her, but that's why she did) DD and another girl noticed that all of her pictures looked different, some blurred, others the hair was shorter, longer or just plain different along with the over all look of the girl.

DD had watched a video of her doing a standing full on her page & read where the girl claimed it was her. Later DD googled standing fulls on youtube, and found that very same video and thought it was odd, and found other videos posted by the "Real" girl who did it and she was from another state. So that made it obvious that this account was a fake. The girl was a fake. I also googled the college cheerleaders and the picture that she claimed to be her, was a girl with a different name. Not this girls name.

DD posted the video link on DD's page and what she had found out, and the girl went off on her. Threatened to come beat her up & to come to cheer camp and "get her". She also changed her name on the same account three times after that.

In hind sight, I wish she had just deleted her and moved on, but whats done is done & there is nothing I can do about it. However, we think we know who it is who did this, and its a local guy. Yes, I said guy. He once was a cheerleader, and graduated a few years ago. He is obsessed with cheering. His about me will make the skin on your neck stand up, because he sounds crazy. He is also "friends" with the mystery account, as well as most of these girls. He may be fine, but I just don't know.

I made DD go through and delete everyone on facebook that she does not really know. All cheer parents have been told about this and the girls have been talked to. I was told to report this to the police so I have done that too. All because my child, and others decided to add people that they do not know.

Talk to your children again & remind them of the dangers of adding people that they do not know.

 

[angelsmith52]

I check my son's account for that very reason. You can also report his account to facebook and I think I would be doing that as well. It is a scary place for kids even though they don't realize it!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

If you are going to let your kids use Facebook, I think a good solution is to make sure they are only friends with people they actually know.

 

[bumbershoot]

"He may be fine, but I just don't know. "

Oh, it doesn't sound like it....


Definitely report the account to FB.

 

[Tiger926]

If you are going to let your kids use Facebook, I think a good solution is to make sure they are only friends with people they actually know.

ITA! If children aren't old enough to know that they shouldn't talk to strangers, then they aren't old enough to be on Facebook.

Tiger

 

[tinkerbell198530]

Just created a new FB page and I can tell you I am only adding ppl that I am friends with. In other words I don't just add random ppl. I am not even adding every 1 I know. Flat out just friends, basicly it makes life a lot easier

 

[jenlynn0808]

DD has to ask us before she sends or accepts any friends on FB. We are also on her friend list and check her account. As we've told her, it isn't that we don't trust her, it's that we (meaning everyone) needs to be cautious when dealing with people online. And as her parents, it is our job to protect her.

 

[mommy2_3]

i have a facebook and the only people that are on it are a few moms from my mommy group and family. my side of the family and hubbys side.

 

[scottish mum]

DD has to ask us before she sends or accepts any friends on FB. We are also on her friend list and check her account. As we've told her, it isn't that we don't trust her, it's that we (meaning everyone) needs to be cautious when dealing with people online. And as her parents, it is our job to protect her.

thats exactly what we have doen too.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Are kids not suppose to be at least like 13 or so???

I remember that question when I created my account. I am amazed at the # of "friends" that I have on FB that have young children that request to be my friends. I undertand the OP situation as she was a teen ager ( who handled the situation great by the way), but 7 and 8 year olds on FB is just asking for trouble!!

 

[moxiecola]

My 13 year old son is on FB as well as both my husband & I. We agreed to allow this on the terms that we will check his page from time to time (unannounced). We are not "friends" with him. I log in as him and I check the pages he's visited or the comments he's made as well as what's on his page. I told him if there are a lot of things of unappropriate nature on his page the account will be deleted. The first time I checked his account I was appalled at the topics of discussion and the language these kids were using...and that these kids parents were allowing them to do this in such an open forum. Thankfully my son has not engaged in such things and therefore the account remains open. I had seen certain kids, girls mostly, that use language or talk about sex openly -I deleted them from his account. Now, I understand that they are pubescent teenagers and this stuff is a fact of life BUT I do not feel my son needs to sit there and read some of the porn these kids write. He's not there yet, girls and sex go right over his head so why push him into it on FB??
Part of our FB agreement was also that he was not to friend adults and he was not to accept any friending from one. He is not friends with me, my husband or his grandparents. I wanted to keep his account a "kids at school" only kind of thing. I have had kids as young as 8 who have friended me. I never put anything inappropriate as my status but I don't feel an 8 year old should be viewing such things. I thought it was strange when my son's 13 year old friends started friending me...and he did too. I don't really get it. I guess I'm a bit of a prude....lol.
The original posting about the guy posing as a girl is TOTALLY freaky. That guy needs to get his head examined. Stay clear of him & all his fake accounts!!!

 

[cheshireqt]

Thank goodness you reported it to the authorities. He, if it was him, he was up to no good and obviously needs some serious help with whatever issues he has. Thank you for the reminder warning.
My DS got his account on his 13th bday. Unlike the PP we went a different route. (not that there is anything wrong with their approach, just different strokes) For DS to have an account I had to be his first friend. I am thrilled that he has added his aunts and uncles and some of my friends. I don't really snoop on his page unless something catches my eye in my "news" updates. For example he posted that he was "now single" HMMM!!!!! That warranted a closer look at his FB page. Apparently he was "in a relationship" starting 2 weeks before that post with another 7th grader and they had now "broken up." This is how I learned that my son is now officially interested in girls! It is also how I finally found out who had been drawing hearts and cats and stars on his arm...was pretty sure it wasn't him!
And yes we had a conversation about whether he was ready for "relationships."

 

[AZMermaid]

Are kids not suppose to be at least like 13 or so???

I remember that question when I created my account. I am amazed at the # of "friends" that I have on FB that have young children that request to be my friends. I undertand the OP situation as she was a teen ager ( who handled the situation great by the way), but 7 and 8 year olds on FB is just asking for trouble!!

In theory- but at least half of my former third graders (now just finished 4th) have facebook accounts. They all "friend" one of my co-teachers who accepts their requests. I always deny them.

 

[DisneyFed]

From a Law Enforcement perspective....

Lot's of very bad things happen because of the internet. Several of my Ops guys are currently running "child based" ops and it's scary what we're finding...of course, this has been going on for years, but it's really taken off the past five years or so.

Everyone already knows this, but it bears repeating...pay very, very, very, very, very close attention to any and all communications methods your child uses...

And this goes for girls and boys.