Facebook Loosens Privacy Policy for Teens

On October 16, 2013, Facebook gave teenagers (age 13-17) the option of sharing their videos, pictures, and status updates with the general public. Previously, people aged 13-17 only had the option of sharing with people designated as “Friends” of their social network and “Friends of Friends.” In a statement on Facebook’s website, the company touted the new freedoms it was affording its teenage users:

Teens are among the savviest people using social media, and whether it comes to civic engagement, activism, or their thoughts on a new movie, they want to be heard. So, starting today, people aged 13 through 17 will also have the choice to post publicly on Facebook.

Teenagers will also be able to turn on the “Follow” feature for their profile, allowing any Facebook member (Friends or otherwise) to see the teen’s public posts in the main news feed. To balance these less strict settings, Facebook has implemented two new privacy protection measures for teenagers as well. Now, when a teenager signs up for a Facebook account, by default their posts will only be shown to their “Friends.” Previously, posts where shown to “Friends” and “Friends of Friends” by default. Also, when a teen chooses to share their posts with the general public, they will be presented with a pair of warnings. One warning reads:

Did you know that public posts can be seen by anyone, not just people you know?


You and any friends you tag could end up getting friend requests and messages from people you don’t know personally.

Following acceptance of the above warning, the user will be presented with another warning, which states:

Tip: Sharing with Public means anyone (not just people you know) may see your post.

It is likely that Facebook has opted to ease the privacy restrictions on teenagers to compete with other social networks such as Twitter and Tumblr, which allow teenagers to share with the public. In Facebook’s 10-K Report filed with the Securities Exchange Commission last February, the company expressed concerns that “younger users, are aware of an actively engaging with other products and services similar to, or as a substitute for, Facebook.”


Critics fear that Facebook’s new policy affords teenagers too much freedom and puts them at risk. Indeed, users who choose to share with the general public run the risk of being contacted and/or solicited by complete strangers. Also, teenagers that choose to share their images, statuses, and videos with the general public are burdened with the fact that any ill-advised posts may come back to haunt them, either professionally or otherwise.

(Blog entry written by Alex Diamond, IBLT/Carter DeLuca Entrepreneurship Support Fellow for the Fall 2013 semester)