Under 18? No Facebook on Xbox 360 for you!
If you’re under 18, you can forget about social networking on Xbox Live.
Marc Saltzman recently blogged about the Xbox Live updates that are soon to be released – including the ability to use social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter, right from your Xbox 360. Marc tested the new Facebook app and seemed to be really happy with the results, saying “I love the idea of a big-screen Facebook in the family room. I can see what my friends are up to, send a message or check out some photos — all while chillin’ on the couch.”
Sounds cool, right? But if you’re under 18 don’t get too excited just yet. Despite the fact that Facebook says you must be at least 13 to have a Facebook account, Microsoft have decided to restrict use through Xbox Live to those 18 and older because parents are unable to customize the Xbox 360 Family Settings for the apps. Microsoft’s Xbox Live Director of Programming, Major Nelson, says “We want to make sure everyone was aware, however, that the development team is working on an update that gives parents the choice of which social applications their children can access.” So, there is light at the end of the tunnel, you’re just going to have to wait for it.
What do you think? Do you agree with Microsoft’s decision to temporarily prohibit those under 18 from using their new services? Will this put a damper on your kids’ plans to start Tweeting and Facebooking from their bed, beanbag chair or couch, rather than at the desk?
Filed Under: My Online Life > Social Networking
Tags: Facebook, kids, online safety, Social Networking, twitter, xbox live
Microsoft must be the dumbest people in the whole f***ing world!!
Kids are the biggest users of xbox 360’s i bet, and kids are definitely the biggest users of facebook. Why the f*** would microsoft waste their f***ing time adding an 18 plus age barrier. kids will just change their age and find a way around the problem. WHAT A JOKE! no wonder everyones buying PS3’s now…
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Well get off your ass, and buy one.
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agree with comment about change age, we have 3 xbox’s and 2 are for children under 18, they still able get hotmail email and use for xbox live id’s, just needed change year of birth, also have 2 ps3’s and one for child under 18 and still no problem setup any type of acct, until they ask for credit card info to verify nothing they can do to restrick under aged children to setup acct’s, it comes down to the parents, if they want setup any kind of restriction for their kids, I don’t restrick my kids like that, they are going to hear it no matter what or get exposed to it as soon they leave house no control, at least if I hear it in the house can do something about it, I give them enough freedom for them to understand what can happen out in the world and online, my kids do not ever talk back to me and most time listen to me, marks in school are good not straight A’s but not just passing either, Microsoft just wants to be parent freindly
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11-year-old Mark is a prime example of what happens when kids do nothing but play on their computers. If he doesn’t even have to get out of bed to rant on his favourite anti-social network, he’ll be fat as well as stupid.
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pretty sure i’m 15, not 11, i’m under 60 kg so not ‘fat’, and i get straight A’s. but you know best…
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Wooooooow that’s all I got to say it’s soo stupied that if this happans Microsoft is goin to lose sooo much money..half the amount of kids that own a xbox360 is goin to probaly be buying a playstation 3..I’m 16 and I’m just saying if Microsoft really makes this happen and only people 18 and up could only us facebook their just retarted or that…
Gamertag: andrew cameron
facebook: andrew cameron
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why would they wast any time or money putting this crap on Xbox. I paid for gaming not to read some braindead morons blog
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Perhaps they could restrict it to those who can spell, form a sentence with applicable punctuation, with the ability to toss that into a properly constructed paragraph. A nice parental aid would be to use a dictionary password protection where one (the illiterate one) would have to correctly spell a randomly selected word and know it’s proper usages.
P
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Phil, you are my hero.
Sadly, we need that for some of the parents as well.
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what’s the use people big corporation do as they want and everybody buys ..works to buy…and they take money…2 weeks off in the year…work work work buy buy buy and the wheel goes round nothings gonna change the rich get richer the poor get poorer…do you really think it matters what we think…we should randomly boycott companies that don’t pay good wages and respect employees 2 years at a time ..NOBODY BUYS …keep em in line to what we want decency …companies moving to poor countries to abuse the people…
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Obviously, all of the complainers haven’t read the entire article. Major Nelson specifically stated that a patch will be available before the end of the year which would allow users 13 and up to use Facebook and such on their 360.
Personally, Facebook on 360 is going to be bs, anyway. Just what we need to have flooding our pages: “DiickSquat46 just got a new achievement!” plastered on their 50 times a day. Oh, boy!!!
Either way, if you want to jump ship to PS3, go ahead. You’re not going to be any happier. Just have some patience. Microsoft does a lot of stupid s$*t, but they always manage to correct it.
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[...] until November 23. Also, users under 18 will not be able to access Facebook unfortunately, as was first reported last week. According to Sync, “Microsoft [has] decided to restrict use through Xbox Live to [...]
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I just hope it’s on soon, I’ve waited ages for this to come on xbox and now I’ve got to wait even longer.
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I was clever enough to give false age when making my first 360 account (who would be dumb enough not to?) and can effortlessly get on facebook ect. So can all my friends, except one, the one who doesn’t understand computers at all, sure he gets straight A*s but he can’t navigate an xbox or computer at all. In my eyes its a way of filtering out idiots, way to go Microsoft.
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hey i cant find facebook on my dashboard has that got to do with somethin with tha i put my age on my xbox and am 16 but cant i get it still thank you
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Ive had my xbox live for about 2 years and im 18, and now i cant get facebook or twitter because microsoft still think im 16 !
So im screwed for facebook and twitter, dont get me wrong im not bothered about not having these things, as people said i can use my laptop or pc, i just want something thats suppose to be on the xbox to actually be working, its just frustrating, and im not making a new xbox live account just for something that should be on and working in the first place..
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Matt:
Xbox Live sync’s with your windows live account, if you are 18 on your Xbox and 16 on your hotmail account it will not let you get in. Make sure you verify your DOB on your xbox and hotmail account match up.
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Mark:
Next time your about to throw a fit about something stop and think. The reason for the delay with people under 18 accessing facebook all comes down to legal issues. The laws and privacy acts are extremely different when it comes to minors.
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dear microsoft,
i should have gotten a ps3.
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Ok that sucks…but im turnin 18 in this coming december..so would xbox automatically kno and allow facebook for me?..i was on facebook way be4 18 smh..well like late 16 lol..
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You also Can’t Use the Last.fm feature. I think thats retarded. The main Users of game systems are well big surprise kids. Xbox live is just messing them selves up with it.
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