Can Parents Get Access to Facebook Accounts of Their Children

Q: How can I gain access to my child’s account on Facebook?

A: Facebook is generally forbidden by federal and many state laws to give unauthorized access to someone who is not an account holder. Parents may want to install monitoring software on home computers if they are concerned about what their children are doing online.

How Parents Can Block Certain Websites from Children at Home

If your child is under 13 and you believe they have created a Facebook account, however, the Childrens’ Online Privacy Protection Act gives you the right to access personal information they have provided before Facebook follows its policy of promptly deleting such data. You may access and direct the deletion of such data by having them sign into the account and then deactivating the account, or by making a request by email to Facebook. Please send requests to privacy@facebook.com with the subject line “COPPA Data Request”.

Facebook strongly urges parents to talk to their children about the dangers they may encounter online, and to make sure their children are using Facebook in a safe manner. Children must know that they should report any inappropriate or offensive Facebook content to their parents and to Facebook using the tools made available through the site.