Mums and dads like to friend their offspring on Facebook
A study has found that many parents have started using social networks like Facebook to better understand their children.
In a recent survey, Hong Kong Christian Social Service found that most parents of students in primary and secondary schools have 'friended' their children.
But 80 per cent of parents said they do not actively comment on their children's posts and activities.
They said they used Facebook to gauge their children's mental and emotional state. But they preferred to let children sort their problems out with the help of peers unless they thought intervention was necessary.
King George V School student Eugenia Mok, 14, said she is 'friends' with her parents on Facebook. But she thinks social networks are not the best way for parents to understand their children. 'If parents want a good relationship with their children, it should be face to face, not through a website,' Eugenia said.
She also warned parents against breaking children's trust by spying on them on Facebook.
Her classmate Luk King-yeung, 14, thinks it helps the relationship of parents and children to be 'friends' on Facebook.
He said his family uses Facebook as a platform to inform each other of family events. 'Parents should act as actual 'friends', instead of being just Facebook friends. They can use the site to better understand the views and feelings of their children,' King-yeung said.
