Facebook – UNSAFE for Teens

There is something called Bumper Sticker Application at Facebook which I encountered only because it was advertised on the profile of a 13-year-old Facebook “friend” of mine. Browsing just two or three pages of Bumper Stickers I saw that many of them are inappropriate for public viewing.

How about referring to women with the “H” or “WH” word? Even worse, how about referring to your mother that way? How about all kinds of sexual innuendo, some even gross, and glorification of various sexual fantasies? How about vulgar language that is NOT allowed on public radio and TV, such as the “F” word and other four letter words? How about Bumper Stickers that think it hilarious to describe various private bodily functions? And of course, a banner encouraging Pot Smoking, is just what our young people need to see.

Since Facebook thinks that this is appropriate for 13-year-olds, I think I will go back and see what other gems I may uncover there before I get grossed out again. I think parents need to be warned about Facebook.

Of course, Bumper Stickers has its own warning about inappropriateness:

What can I do about offensive stickers? If you see an offensive sticker, click on the image. On the next page, click on the “flag this sticker as offensive” link. We will review and take down stickers that are flagged as offensive by enough people.

Jolly Good! The Bumper Stickers I mentioned above, have obviously ALL passed the “Facebook Seal of Approval” as not enough people have flagged them as “offensive.” That certainly reveals much about Facebook. And, since 7 million Facebook users actively use and love these Bumper Stickers, it says much about them and our society.