Previously, the ability to make posts public on Facebook were limited to those over the age of 18 – for obvious reasons. However, Facebook today announced that they will now allow everyone, including those aged between 13 and 17, to share publicly their thoughts. And yes, get ready for some more stupid comments from teenagers who are less educated about certain topics.
“These changes are designed to improve the experience for teens on Facebook. As part of this, we are also looking at ways to improve the way teens use messages and connect with people they may know,” Facebook said in a news post about the decision.
Like the ‘adults’, teenage Facebook users will have their posts set by default to “Friends Only” and have to choose to make posts public. However, Facebook will constantly remind them before publishing their post what public means – that everyone can see it (even your parents). In addition, Facebook will now turn on the “Follow” feature on teenage accounts – yes, because apparently some teenagers have a following interested in every single mundane event on their life.
But hey, it’s great news for Buzzfeed and the Huffington Post as there is a new place to source some of the most incredibly stupid (and possibly ignorant) posts from teenagers – from not knowing the Titanic was a real event to being upset about a One Direction concert clashing with the HSC.
Also, good luck trying to deactivate your Facebook profile after being mocked online.