Mothers and kids now `befriending` each other on Facebook

Washington: In order to stay connected and bond better, one in three mothers is being `friends` with their children on Facebook. Kelly McBride, an assistant professor of communications at LaSalle University in Philadelphia, said that her students who `friend` their mothers keep their Facebook pages benign. She added that children even started using other social networking sites such as Instagram or Twitter for the racy stuff. When they `friend` their mothers they also take off drinking or partying photographs. According to a report by Fox News, Parenting expert Susan Newman said that befriending children who are teenagers on online social media equates to reading their personal diary. Facebook offers another layer for the parents to become intrusive in the lives of their teenage children who are struggling in making their individual identity amongst peers. Those who `friend` their mothers often tell them what to `like` and what to comment. The mothers do not intend to stalk them but need to keep a check on their children. Facebook said that children in the age group of 13-years are more likely to befriend their parents online as that is the minimum age limit set by the social networking site to have an account, while people in their 20s are less likely to do so. ANI