Following the lead of fellow social media outlets, Facebook made several changes in order to attract more teen users, according to Bloomberg.com.
For one, 13-17 year old users will now be able to post items to the public, according to a post by Facebook Wednesday. Previously, their social net extended only as far as "friends of friends".
Perhaps to assuage the concerns of privacy groups critical of Facebook's looser restrictions, the default for posting items will actually be more restrictive, Bloomberg reported. If users don't edit their privacy options, their postings will only be available to "friends".
"We take the safety of teens very seriously, so they will see an extra reminder before they can share publicly," the company said.
According to Bloomberg, Facebook partnered with the National Association of Attorneys General to establish community programs designed to educated parents and users about privacy on Facebook and on the Internet in general.
If Facebook is indeed targeting youth, the statement on its website is a little puzzling or maybe even misleading. After emphasizing how much teens want to be heard, the company predicted that "only a small fraction of teens using Facebook might choose to post publicly..."
"Teens are among the savviest people using social media, and whether it comes to civic engagement, activism, or their thoughts on a new movie, they want to be heard," Facebook said on its site. "While only a small fraction of teens using Facebook might choose to post publicly, this update now gives them the choice to share more broadly, just like on other social-media services."
Facebook will also allow teens (and all users) to follow or be followed by other users, similiar to the way that exchange works on Twitter, Bloomberg reported.
