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Hugh Briss - Social media speaks to me

Pornographic advertising on Facebook; Why is Facebook becoming NSFW or kids?

Maybe it’s just me — although I hope not — but does this ad seem appropriate for a website that is open to people of all ages? The minimum age to open a Facebook account is 13 but anyone of any age can visit a Facebook page. My wife and I supervise our young daughters when they use the Internet and I have the maximum filters turned on for Google searches, but why was I stuck last night explaining to my 9 year-old the answer to her question, “What is that man doing to that lady and why are they naked, Daddy?” while she was looking at her ballet friend’s Facebook photos?

BTW. My 9 year-old does not have a Facebook account and she was sitting on my lap at the time. Families all over the world use Facebook to share information and photos with other family members just like we do. Our profile is set to private and can only be viewed by family members and friends.

18 Responses
12 Comments   6 Recommends  

  1. Joe Hackman  If they are targeting under 18 year olds with that ad, there is a real problem. The ad interface for Facebook has targeting options including age.
    5 mons ago

    1. Chris Parandian  maybe @allnick has some insights on this. RT @hughbriss Pornographic ads on Facebook; Why is FB becoming NSFW or kids? http://bit.ly/cksvft
      5 mons ago

      1. Chris Parandian  Recommended this post
        5 mons ago

        1. socratoad  Recommended this post
          5 mons ago

          1. Eric Goldstein  RT @hughbriss Pornographic advertising on Facebook; Why is Facebook becoming NSFW or kids? http://bit.ly/cksvft
            5 mons ago

            1. Eric Goldstein  Recommended this post
              5 mons ago

              1. Lauren McMullen  Re: http://bit.ly/cksvft @hughbriss You are not crazy. This is wrong and Facebook needs to tighten up their advertising guidelines
                5 mons ago

                1. arif  I think there are horrible Ads on internet in general.
                  I have a 9 year old and I’m making him use Kidzui. Previously I was using Microsoft’s Family Safety which is not a bad product either. 9 year old shouldn’t be on Facebook.
                  5 mons ago

                  1. arif  Recommended this post
                    5 mons ago

                    1. arif  RT @hughbriss Pornographic advertising on Facebook; Why is Facebook becoming NSFW or kids? http://bit.ly/cksvft
                      5 mons ago

                      1. Hugh Briss  Arif: Why shouldn’t my 9 year-old be on Facebook? She doesn’t have her own Facebook page but my almost 13 year-old does and our family is quite extended and we also have friends all over so we all use Facebook to share family photos and news. There is absolutely no reason why my kids shouldn’t be able to use Facebook while being supervised. This wasn’t a case of them looking at someone’s Facebook page they shouldn’t have, this is an ad served by Facebook. Like I already said, we don’t let them surf the Net willy nilly but are you seriously saying a father shouldn’t be able to look at the family Facebook page with his daughter?
                        5 mons ago

                        1. arif  If their policy suggest that you have to be above 13 than why would you want to have your 9 year old around? Isn’t that the whole point of labels and warnings on toys, movies, etc?
                          I absolutely do not trust Facebook’s rules regulations and their staff for my personal/family activities. I can’t stop my relatives to be on it but I don’t share any of my family photos or activities through Facebook.
                          I am not defending their Ad policies but if you have signed up with them than you have to tolerate their Ads.
                          5 mons ago

                          1. Ashangel  Recommended this post
                            5 mons ago

                            1. Hugh Briss  Arif: Facebook’s policy does not suggest that you need to be 13 to USE Facebook, it says you must be 13 to create a Facebook profile. There’s no disclaimer anywhere that says you must be a certain age to view Facebook. Millions of people use Facebook to share information, photos, and videos with their family members who live in other parts of the world. The Facebook account I was using with my daughter at the time is protected and no one can see anything we post unless they are a friend and no one is a friend on that account who is not actually a close personal friend or family member. I sure as heck shouldn’t have to worry that while we’re looking at photos of my niece’s new baby that Facebook is going to run an inappropriate ad in the sidebar.
                              5 mons ago

                              1. arif  Hugh, you’re going to get me started on my anti-Facebook rants. I don’t wish to start right now because it is worthless against such a giant. I simply do not like Facebook (I don’t use it much), nor do I like Ads anywhere on the internet (I use Ad blocker to full extent).
                                Facebook was supposed to be a gated website where you register, log in, to participate and view. They have since then compromised many aspect of their scope. I once deleted everything off of my Facebook account and left, but only to return and find that they goddamn didn’t delete my account (I thought they did when I left). The only reason I came back to Facebook is because my distant relatives wouldn’t let go of it and I find it convenient to communicate with them through Facebook than through my e-mail.
                                I don’t like the idea of someone getting rich off of my personal activities when they’re not even paying me or providing me satisfactory support or personal advantage. The reason it is free is because of their Ads and the reason they’re successful is because of our presence and activities. Well, I refuse to participate to make them rich.
                                5 mons ago

                                1. Hugh Briss  I personally have no problem with Facebook making money from advertising because I get to use the site for free and they obviously have a right to make money, however, I do think that since it’s their responsibility to monitor the ads and use some logic in what is allowed. That ad isn’t only inappropriate for a young audience but I’m sure there are plenty of adults who would find it offensive.
                                  5 mons ago

                                  1. arif  Hugh, you tried checking with their staff on this?
                                    5 mons ago

                                    1. Steve Wagasky  Recommended this post
                                      5 mons ago



                                      • Name: Hugh Briss
                                      • Location: Central Florida
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                                      • Bio: Social identity specialist, Web developer, designer, and Internet entrepreneur. Check out my blog at HughBriss.com.
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