Great topic to cover! It dawned on me that I didn't recall entering my date-of-birth when I signed up for Steemit and I began researching if steemit even has an age limit, which is how I came across your article.

Our 7, 9 and 13-year-old boys have been wanting to start a YouTube channel. 2 want to do gaming, the other wants to do random skits. All of which I have no problems with until you enter the risk of cyber predators.

I've been going back and forth on whether or not I should allow them to have these social channels. I believe a lot of it has to do with understanding the risks and assessing them wisely. And (as a parent) talking with your children about the risks and benefits of having a social presence. I think that if you teach your children how to responsibly use social media, it can be a non-issue. And if your children trust you and have the confidence to confide in you if they feel they are in danger, being bullied or whatever, then you should have nothing to fear.

With the addition of DTube to the SteemIt community, I can see how a child having an account and online presence could be hugely beneficial for many reasons. The top reason for me being - using DTube and Steemit has the potential to teach children about personal finance, the value of money (whether it be fiat or digital currency), and the correlation to work. It could also counter depression and encourage creativity. Not to mention, it beats a part-time job! I want my kids to work as teens, even if they don't need to. I believe working as a child instills character and work ethic.

I believe all children should be allowed to have a social presence online as soon as they are able to express themselves in a written or verbal format. It's the parent's responsibility to then enforce the rules. Of course some web safeguards would be nice. Like maybe your profile somehow links to your age and only shows content suitable for your child's age group. Although most of these filters can also be set up through an ISP by a parent.

I don't know. Food for thought.

I'm 100% for protecting children and their privacy so I'm torn on this one.

This did make me think of a song though, so in memory of the great Whitney Houston, sing along with me!

"I believe the children are our are future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier"