Teen Facebook Question
 

I am not a parent, but, I sometimes feel it is my duty to check up on the Facebook pages of my nieces. My sister-in-law knows that I do patrol it, and doesn't mind.

I am happy to report what they have posted is pretty clean; even the one that is in college. The older one has pictures of her friends from the Indian Reservation in which she worked this summer and others from groups of friends. The younger one pretty much posts pictures of herself with her Tennis Doubles partner or with other band member.

Younger Niece recently "friended" my cousin's daughter, who lives in another state. Cousin is an HM and sends DD to a private school because she thinks the boys will be all over DD since she is "so beautiful" (not my words). DD is 16 years old, cute and skinny, but far from a beauty. Every year, they make 4 trips to Hollywood to meet with acting coaches and go on auditions. Each trip is approximately 3 - 4 weeks in length.

So if HM is so worried about DD and the boys, I wonder if she knows DD has a picture of herself in a bikini on Facebook? Probably not.

Parents, what are your feelings about a 16-year old having a picture of herself in a bikini on Facebook? Would you say something to HM or just keep it to yourself?

It is her profile picture. I'm use to my niece dressed up as the Statue of Liberty in her profile picture

Do you know what she's got her privacy settings on?

It's on thing if only her friends can see it and another if every creep on facebook can (and since it's the profile picture, I'm afraid creeps can see it.)

I feel Facebook needs to do the same thing as Myspace- in the essence that if someone is 15 or younger on myspace their page is automatically set to private, and only people that the 15 year old accepts as a friend can see his/her profile. Facebook really needs to evaluate the audience it is targeting. Facebook started out as a college based online community.. and now more and more high schoolers and people who aren't in a "network" can join. They (facebook) really did not alter their setting when they allowed people from all over, including all age groups to join.

If it were my niece, I'd have a fit! Much too often teenagers have the mentality that they are invincible and nothing can harm them. The realization that they could apart of a statistic does not register at that age. There are some "freak show" people as my sister tells her daughters, out there; you gotta be careful!

NO ONE, no matter their age, should have a bikini pic as their profile pic anywhere, unless they charge by the half hour. It's slutty and tacky. Bathing suits are for the beach and pool, period. They are inappropriate anywhere else.

I would tell the mother of the bikini-clad girl.

Is she in her bedroom in a bikini, or somewhere where "bikini attire" is the norm (like a beach or a pool)?

I personally don't see the problem if she's at the beach or the pool, as long as it isn't a risque (did I spell that right?) pose.

If she's in her bedroom, bathroom or the like, then yeah I be a little concerned.

If it were my 14-yr old stepdaughter, I would want to know!

I'm not a parent but I do have an 11 yr old niece. If I saw a picture of her in a bathing suit on myspace or Facebook, I'd tell her dad (her mother is a nitwit and would think it's cute). One would need super stringent privacy settings on FB in order for someone to not even see your profile pic and most 16yr olds do not do this.

Tell her parents. People copy and paste pictures ALL the time and then they start to float around unsavory websites.

what do you expect with miley cyrus as a role model?

I'm assuming it was a beach or pool since her hair was wet. I'm leaning toward what the others are saying. BTW...when I said skinny, I really meant gangly and no womanly shape. But she is only 16.

I don't think she has all of her privacy settings on. I had a friend log on today to look at it and she was able to access her picture too. Need to find a tactful way to let HM know about it and hope that HM didn't encourage DD to do it for publicity.

I think you're definitely overreacting - unless her nunga-nungas are hanging out all over the place and it is CLEARLY a sexual picture, then I think you're reading waaaaaay too much into it. Let it be and don't tell her mom.