Teenagers under 16 may soon have a Facebook and Snapchat ban

By the end of this week it could be illegal for any European child under 16 to use Facebook - or Snapchat or any messaging service - without the express consent of their parents. That, according to some interpretations, would be the result of a vote by an obscure committee to raise the digital age of consent from 13 to 16.

Who knew there was a "digital age of consent"?

I certainly didn't but I am told it's built into the decisions that many online firms make about the age they will allow people to join.

full story

Well all I can say is that this might finally be a bit of sensible legislation coming from Europe.

As parents we're not trying to spoil the fun for teenagers, but many of them I suspect aren't mature enough to deal with the situations they may find themselves in on some of these social networks.  Being a parent is hard enough without having to deal with them as well.  It's a situation I'm all too familiar with at present.

Personally I would have gone for aged 18 and over, but 16 is a good enough compromise I think.  Although if this goes through (and I doubt it will) then I'm sure there's going to be a backlash and there are so many "weak" parents out there (Yep, you know who you are - Clare!) that will give in to the demands of teenager rather than make a tough decision in the best interests of the youngsters.

I see a very tough battle ahead, one that may perhaps only fuel the fires we are fighting right now, but in the long run I think it may be a worthwhile cause.