I have a problem with children using social media for anything other than an educational purpose - because they are children!

Children do not have the same judgement as an adult when it comes to socialising in this virtual realm.

Remember when you had an argument with a friend at school, and the next day you went back and it all didn't matter.

Now, after school they can go home, get on to Facebook and keep the argument going and drag more friends into it - and you know where this will lead don't you?

Bullying, or as it is now known; Cyber-bullying.

Harassment using the Internet. It can be very hard to deal with and control (from a parent and teacher point of view) because there are so many ways to do it.

It can be public and sometimes hard to get rid of once it is online.

People are braver online. They will say the first thing that pops into their head, because it is easier to write it than say it (just look at what I write here for example).

What can parents do? Getting rid of Facebook is not the answer.

Facebook is too big to go away now and it will continue to do so for some time until something bigger comes along.

There are no parental controls on Facebook to help us monitor who our kids interact with.

In the United States, Facebook does not allow listed paedophiles to have an account, however, it is not possible to monitor who is who in other countries.

Food for thought there.

If it were me, I'd be changing the WiFi password and not buying them a smart phone. But this can be easier said than done.

If they absolutely have to have a social media account, make it conditional in that you must be their online friend so you can keep tabs on what is going on.

Sit down with them and go through their privacy settings together to make sure they are tight, to help keep advances from strangers at bay.

Make sure they know how to report and block any person who may be bullying or harassing them. And encourage your children to keep their information to themselves, i.e. passwords, phone numbers and photos, should be shared only with those they know well and trust.

Remind them that they don't have to be online friends with everyone they've ever met, or are fans of the same things they are.

Children under 13 are not (according to Facebook rules) allowed to have an account.

How this can be policed, I have no idea, as kids are putting in false birth dates to get on to Facebook.

The age restriction in my opinion needs to be 18 and up.

Do we really need to establish an online identity for ourselves at such an early age?

And the real kicker here for keeping our kids off Facebook - they will get to see photos of you put up on Facebook by your friends ... photos that you may not necessarily want the kids to see.

Explain that one mum.

The rules of parenting and guiding our children are changing by the minute. Am I the only one finding I have to sprint to keep up?