Convince Your Parents to Let You Get a Facebook Account
In the modern world with its focus on game consoles, internet, and chat rooms, websites like Facebook and Twitter play an important part in many young people's lives. These websites are a valuable way to stay in touch with friends and family as well as share pictures and videos. Many parents are suspicious of the time their teens spend on such sites, as well as having legitimate concerns about their children's safety. Here's a handy guide on how to talk your parents into allowing you to get a Facebook.
Contents
Steps
- Sit your parents down to discuss this issue in a calm, relaxed way. Tell them that you would really appreciate the opportunity to explain why you should be allowed to have such an account. This may not work if your parents are very sheltering.
- Write everything that you will benefit from a Facebook account on a piece of paper. However, don't read off of the paper when you're talking to your parents. It will look too planned. So instead, try to memorize your key points. It will look like you're speaking from your mind rather than practicing for a public speaking event. Try to be mature and reasonable with your parents.
- Explain that you would like the account to keep in touch with friends. Be clear that you will not use the account to talk to people they do not know and do not approve of. The general purpose of Facebook is to catch up with your friends from school, friends you meet at summer camp, old friends that had moved away, and people that you met from other schools.
- Give a couple of examples of social events you didn't know about that have happened because you don't have a Facebook.
- Talk them through the safety features of the site. Show them how you can restrict access to your page so that only your friends can see it.
- Let them know that you are aware of the dangers of giving your personal details out on the internet. Reassure them that you will follow all sensible steps to stay safe.
- Set your own time limits. You will have to judge what your parents will find an acceptable amount of time spent on Facebook. Assure them that all homework and chores will be done before you spend time on Facebook or the computer in general.
- If they are worried that you will get addicted to Facebook, offer to write down a list of boundaries to be posted beside the computer (such as "I will only use it for 60 minutes a day", "I will only use it only if my room is clean", "I won't go online until all my chores are done" etc.)
- Show your parents your maturity. If they don't think you're mature enough, prove it to them. It may take two or three months, but it'll be worth it.
- Bide your time. If your parents stand firm and it doesn't happen, wait a while. Let them forget about it, and then ask them again in a few weeks.
- Practice your plea ahead of time. Memorize something like:
- "I want a Facebook account to keep in touch with friends who are not allowed to have a phone yet, and that do not spend as much time on their phones. I can restrict access to my page so that only my friends can see my name and page. I can design it how I want to show my personality, and what goes through my mind by posting pictures. I can have the page however I want as well. I will let you guys tell me how much time I can spend on it, because I know it can be addicting. It will not get in the way of any homework or sports. And at school everyone talks about Facebook, and it makes me feel left out." You could also involve a friend to show the point that nearly everyone else has it, including the friend. But do not use the phrase "everyone else is doing it"."
- Be open with your parents. If your parents have an account, add them so that they can see everything that you are doing and what pictures you are posting. If neither of your parents have an account and that is what they're worried about, suggest that you could add a close friend of your mother's or an uncle or aunt as a friend who could keep an eye on what you were doing.
Tips
- Tell your parents you feel out of the loop and that your friends are always talking about Facebook so you feel left out, but don't use this as a key point. This can make you look immature depending upon how it is said.
- This should be a general rule on Facebook: Don't post something that your parents would be ashamed of. Don't post inappropriate photos.
- Tell your parents it will cost less than using your minutes to text your friends. Facebook costs nothing. It's free!
- A good idea is to wait to ask them after you've accomplished something, like after you've gotten a good grade or report card. You're already leaned to start when they're feeling less stressed, and they might be more willing to negotiate while they're happy with you. Plus, it'll only be fair; it'll be like a reward.
- Be patient about it. If they say they need to think about it, respect that. There are better chances of them allowing you to have a Facebook if you don't keep bugging them about it. It takes time.
- Show your parents how mature you are by the way you approach them. Your parents should trust your judgement, and trust you to make sensible choices about the people you add and the things you post/upload.
- Promise them that you will only add people that you know.
- Facebook is generally safer than Myspace since it is made for talking to the people you know, rather than adding and meeting people you don't know. The people on Facebook are nicer and a lot cleaner than the people on Myspace; there are more normal teens, as opposed rebellious teens. Facebook also has stricter regulations on content than Myspace.
- Ask Facebook as a gift, such as part of a birthday present or Christmas present because then they might feel they don't have to spend as much money on you.
- Tell your parents that you will follow whatever guidelines that they set for your Facebook account.
- If you have an older sibling who also does not have a Facebook account, talk to them too and get them involved. Two heads are better than one!
- Be aware that your parents may have had a bad experience with Facebook. For example if your older sibling was permitted to have Facebook, they may have abused that privilege. So, use that to your advantage by saying want you won't do.
- Facebook is very addicting. If your parents find you are glued to it every time they look at what you're doing, they may block it from your computer.
- Don't keep begging or they will get annoyed and not let you have it for a long time.
- If your parents won't let you put a fake birthday because say you are too young, point out that by masking your actual age you will be less attractive to inappropriate profiles of people who prey on younger children.
- Tell them about a social event and if they ask for details say you heard they are on Facebook, and give them a helpless look.
- If they say no, say that you respect their answer,that would make them believe you're mature and hopefully let you have the account. Don't get one without permission.
- You could always just tell your parents that you are getting a Facebook account, and see how things go, say that you are giving it a test run. Your parents can't control your life, well they can to a certain extent, but to keep you from keeping in touch with friends, and FAMILY (that might live far away) is wrong.
- If they say you're too young, then ask them if you can have Twitter(which has no age limit) to start off to show your responsibility.
- Tell them that you are left out, and that no one talks to you because everyone has a Facebook account and you don't.
- Tell your parents that you will follow the rules, and won't do inappropriate things.
- Follow your parents rules with Facebook. Parents usually know and want best for their children.
Warnings
- If you get a Facebook account, don't add anyone you don't know!
- Use your online sense. Don't talk to anyone you don't know. If it becomes a problem, talk to your parent or a trusted adult.
- If you are younger than 13 the chances are that your parents will say no because you are too young. If you use the "My friends have an account!" excuse, they will probably say it is their parent's decision, not ours. Say 12 is an exception and that it is only a year's difference. Try to show your mom a friend's account to show that they can handle it.
- Last but certainly not least, don't turn into one of those addicted, brainless, emotion-less, pale-faced robots that spend absolutely all DAY on Facebook/phone/laptop/etc. If this happens to you, there will be consequences. Your parents will take away your account, you will fail every single subject for being online instead of doing homework, and the world will crash down on you. So, get outside and shoot some hoops! Read a book - that's what every top student of every class does. Best of all, study - that's just how YOU can become a top student and get what you want as a "side" result.
- Don't pester your parents and ask them every hour or every day for a Facebook account. You'll just seem like a baby.
- Depending upon your age, your parents may well deem that you are too young. Accept their decision - they are older and wiser than you and have your best interests at heart. You aren't legally allowed to use Facebook until you're 13 or older anyway. Facebook is generally targeted for teens that are starting high school and older.
- Don't beg. It will ruin your chances.
- Whatever you do, if your parents say no, don't sign up all the same. It'll only encourage further problems.
- If your parents' final answer is no, then honor their authority because they are your parents and have been on this earth longer than you by a long shot.
- Facebook is currently outdated for teens. If you want to ask for social media, ask for Instagram, Twitter and/or Snapchat. You will have more friends to connect with on other social media sites.
