to think a 10 year old wouldn't be able to set a Facebook account up and bully someone on it?

[Scratty]

DS isn’t particularly smart with technology, he does have an iPad that has parental controls, etc.

We also have a downstairs computer.

DS (at the age of 10 - not amazing at technology) couldn’t do that, right? I don’t know many 10 year olds. He says he hasn’t, but someone is saying he has.

Thanks.

Very possible he could have set up the account but also very possible someone else created it as a fake account to stir up shit!

You could try adding the account as a friend, if whoever it is accepts then you should be able to see more info.

I have an 11yo and am in no doubt that he could set this up. Every single friend of his could as well.

My 10 year old is programming a new messaging app in his coding club so creating a Facebook account is definitely something he could do!

I would go to Facebook on both the tablet and the PC and see if it comes up with an account logged in. I’d also search history.

Oh and be aware that none of the above can actually prove his innocence. They just provery if he did it he's been canny about it.

Of course also check the time stamp on the messages. Are they times he could even vaguely have access to technology.

I'm pretty confident with computers/tech because I use stuff in work all the time, but my 12yo dd is way more savvy than I am. I would imagine that the vast majority of 10yo kids could set up a FB account quite easily. Of course, that's not to say that he did, but it's well within the realm of possibility.

@Scratty

My 8 year old has secretly made a facebook account before!
I definately think 10 year olds these days would be smart enough to do it, but I dont think they would be able to hide all their tracks. It could be someone else in his class using his name, so they dont get in trouble? How often is this account used? If it was just a one time thing maybe he made it at a friends house rather than at home on his iPad?
I'm not sure but you could try contacting facebook, if there is a facebook account in your sons name and he is too young to be on there, they might be willing to find out the email that its connected to or remove it for you? (I'm not sure though they might be very unhelpful)

Both my 10 yo and my 7 yo could do this. Probably better than me, tbh, I hand over to ds2 when I get frustrated with machines.

However they would never think to delete their browser history or cover their tracks.

10 year olds now have never not known that sort of technology. It's as intuitive to them as using a TV/gaming system was for my generation.

Browsing history.
This will show you if he’s got an email account (remember there’s lots of them) and Facebook.

They are very simple to set up and give step by step.

I work in a primary school, I know from our recent internet safety sessions that there are children as young as 6 that have set up facebook accounts without their parents knowledge, so yes a 10 year old could.

10 year olds watch porn on their iPads.

You are dangerously naive.

Please educate yourself.

Parents Not being tech savvy is putting children at risk of harm.

It's not as difficult as you think. Setting up accounts is pretty much self-explanatory. Many children aged ten would be able to clear their browser history (it's just Ctrl+Shift+Del).

I wouldn't think it was hard for most 10 year olds tbh.

What device does he use to go online?

Kindles have a lot of great features to restrict access.

I agree look at the time stamps on the messages are there any he definitely couldn’t of sent? Would he have been at a club, or you were away ect? Then check the iPad what apps does he have? What iTunes account is it linked too? His own or yours? If it’s his own you can go onto the App Store and see apps not on this device it will show you if he has deleted it or he has downloaded elsewhere on that account! Browser history in the laptop is good to check too! Not conclusive either way but if the time stamps are out of school hours and you can’t find trace of the apps ect at home then it comes down to what you know about your son! If the messages sound like him ect

My 10 year old self was hopelessly naive - but not so this generation......

Have you thought of the possibility that another child could have set up the account in his name?

A better way of looking at this, is to look at the message, does it sound like something your son would say, does he know the other person, and I have to say, does it matter, it’s just words on a computer.

.

I found kindles way over restrictive. The kids were coming to me for the parental password for the most innocuous of stuff. I turned them off, only keeping them on for payments.

Most of the parental restriction stuff I've seen is an absolute pain. And won't prevent thing going behind your back at a friends or grandma house etc. I'd much rather random spot check "let me look now". It's reassuring to see a full brower history (usually full of random rubbish).

You best bet really is the time stamps on the messages

Any 10 yo could set up a FB account - it isn't techy at all because FB have designed it to be very simple so nobody is put off from joining.

Equally, any 10yo could set up a FB account using someone else's name. So the account might have been created by one of your DS's friends/enemies specifically in order to get DS into hot water.

Of course he could! They use IT in schools....

Count there will always be some but I think the vast majority of people (especially mn!) don't let their ten year olds have Facebook!

My 10yo ds set up a Facebook account, complete with profile pic. First I knew of it was my sister telling me she’d had a ‘friends you might know’ suggestion from him. Deleted now, obv.

Are 10 year olds really that tech savvy? 10!?

Yes.

My 8yo DS is very tech savvy! DD was having coding lesson in Year 4!