Who is responsible for our kids?

So. I was sitting here earlier tonight doing a little laundry killing time until I had to go pick up my teenage daughter from the movies. On the TV, the local nightly news. A news story caught my attention and frankly made me shake my head in shame:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/05/facebook-zuckerberg-privacy-teens-underage-users-consumers-union.html

Let me get this straight...Consumers Union is pissed off at Facebook because Mark Zuckerberg isn't doing more to police underage Facebook use. Hmmm. Let's ponder this. Last time I checked, shouldn't it be the responsibility of PARENTS to police this? I mean, I'm a young mother. I just turned 34 in April. My oldest daughter turned 15 in April. She has a Facebook. She wasn't allowed to have her own Facebook until she started high school in the fall. So, that meant she was 14. A year older than what is "required" to have a Facebook account...and that is WITH parental permission. At least that is what Facebook's account registration page asks.

I know of kids younger than 13 who have a Facebook page. Do I agree with it. Absolutely not. Is it my problem? Nope. Is it Mark Zuckerberg's problem...I don't think it is. This is a PARENT problem. This is a parent's not taking control problem. This is parents trying to be the good guy and thinking it's not a big deal that their 10 year old has a Facebook account. This is a HUGE indication of how parents are quick to point the finger to anyone but themselves and/or their child.

This topic literally flys all over my a$$. I mean, I consider myself a pretty strict parent. By NO means am I "perfect" or anywhere close. But I REFUSE to take my thumb too far off my kids when it comes to Internet use. I have all log in and password information. More than a few times a week I will log in to my daughter's Facebook account and "creep" on her page and the pages of her friends. She knows this. It's not a secret. I'm not sneaky about it. I tell her. I WANT her to know. I'm always watching...vigilant. The same goes for her cell phone. Spot checks...I'll just grab her phone at random and read some texts. Me doing this stuff was part of the conditions to her getting access to it. Not because I'm mean or not cool. And not because I'm not respectful of her privacy. Privacy? Heh...I digress.

I can't help but hear stories like this one and get angry with the way kids are being parented today...or lack there of. And people wonder why today's youth are so disrespectful and seem so entitled. It's because they weren't raised like we were...not even CLOSE. Granted, times are different now. There are so many more influences we as parents have to worry about. All the more reason to be more involved! We won't even get started on the "everyone plays & everyone wins" mentality that's being shoved down our throats in every aspect of our kids lives where there should be competition. I'll save that rant for another day!

I'd love to hear what you guys think about this...all 3 of my followers LOL Or ask your friends about this article...on your Facebook page *grin*