Peter Kramer/NBC
Don’t expect the first daughters -– Sasha, 9, and Malia, 12 -– to have Facebook profiles any time soon. During an appearance on The Today show, first lady Michelle Obama said her girls don’t have Facebook accounts. They are technically too young to be on the social networking site, which doesn't allow users under 13, but even if they were of age, they wouldn’t be part of the Facebook world, at least if Mom has anything to say about it.
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"I’m not a big fan of young kids having Facebook," Mrs. Obama told Matt Lauer, during an interview marking the one-year anniversary of her “Let’s Move!” initiative to fight childhood obesity. She said there are Secret Service issues about the girls being on social networking sites, but even if they lived outside the White House, it is “not something they need.”
Asked if she’ll ever allow her girls to sign up, she said with a chuckle, “It depends on when we leave and how old they are.”
The topic of how young is too young on social networks like Facebook is a hot one -- especially here at iVillage. Not too long ago, Jenny Ingram, an iVoice on iVillage, mother of three and blogger, said she was battling with her then 11-year-old who wanted to join Facebook. She went on the site to look around and was alarmed to discover a friend’s 9-year-old child posting pictures and video.Ingram , who’s passionate about cyber safety, interviewed other moms and school officials about how they handle kids and social networks. Check out her report here.
Do you agree with the first lady who says she’s not a fan of young kids on Facebook? Chime in below!
