Facebook, which some professors and instructors use to host class discussions and answer homework questions, requires account holders to be 13.
Twitter once enforced an age requirement of 13 years old, but no longer does.
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection (COPP) Act, passed by Congress in 1998, spells out what website operators must include in privacy policies, and when the website must seek parental consent.
The law stipulates that children younger than 13 can legally distribute personal information with their parents’ permission.
Prestigious universities have had Google+ pages since the site first allowed school to join. More than 5,100 people have Stanford University in their Google+ “circle,” for instance. Harvard University has been added by 2,100 Google+ users.
Campuses like ASU might be frustrated with Google’s age requirement, but higher-education officials should remember the legal hurdles companies face when allowing minors to use their products and services, said Raymond Rose, a longtime developer of educational technology programs.
“I completely understand both sides, but need to side with Google on this, for legal reasons,” he said. “I think the [ASU IT] folks need to talk with some folks in K-12 on the legal issues involved with protecting minors. Those 17-year-olds may have graduated from high school and be independent, but from a legal perspective, they’re still minors.”
Rose said a nightmare scenario could have unfold for colleges and universities that would give access–accidentally or intentionally–to students who aren’t yet 18 before Google announced its age requirement change and the host of safety features for young social media users.
“What happens and who gets sued when the student gets harassed, or even worse, in the Google+ environment?” he said. “If they really feel strongly, they might need to get their institution’s counsel to take a position that says there’s not a problem giving minors access. Then they can have a real interesting conversation with Google.”
Many colleges and universities hadn’t considered Google’s social network age restriction, because social media messaging and communication with current and prospective students, faculty, and parents has revolved around more traditional outlets.
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