[aigel]

13 is too young for a smartphone and an instagram account. But the genie is out of the bottle, I am afraid. To MRM's points - once they have the device, it is really tough to control what they do on it and now you are trying to convince them to follow your advice. It isn't easy to put your foot down unless you are able to to constantly stay on top of electronic activities with parental controls on the device and checking on them on a regular basis. I have only seen this fail with friends and family. If the kid wants to do something on their smartphone, they will, unless the parent is tech savvy and stays on top of it. Most people are not tech savvy and too lazy.

So, back to the question ... kids are cruel in high school and college, looking back at old social media activities of their peers. It can be in good fun but it can be horrible if they dig up the wrong stuff. That alone should scare a kid. Have her think back at what she posted when she was 11.

The "it is set to private" is something that should also be discussed. You put all your stuff on a facebook server, it is theirs to use and digest and sell. This isn't under your control as soon as you post it. You have to assume that what you post is public, never post anything thinking it will only been seen by your friends.

G