NEWS TRIBUNE
SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 2012
RESTORED
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A young couple restores the unique architecture in a Jefferson City cottage.
INSIDE SECTION E4 Travel E6 Home&Garden E7 Diversions
■ HOME&GARDEN E6
Get a job Youth’s first job can teach valuable life skills
Courtesy/University of Missouri Extension 4-H Youth Programs
Julie Smith/News Tribune
After babysitting her younger sister for a summer, 13-year-old Monica Whitson was ready for more responsibility. ABOVE: Asiah RydShe asked her mother, Alicia Whitson, to help her line up some work. And man straightens soon, she had her first job as a baby sitter for two boys, ages 7 and 11. clothing at Edge “She wanted to be able to have money for the things that she wanted to do and to prepare for bigger jobs later,” said Alicia. “I was proud that Wise. The highshe was even considering it because it meant giving up sleepschooler is working ing in and staying up all night with her friends.” at the store during Monica is like many other young people who enter the the summer. workforce in the summer as a means to earn their own LEFT: Crafts and money for the first time. agriculture-relatThe Missouri Department of Labor says youths ed products are younger than 14 are permitted to work in the entertainment industry (work permit needed) or in casual popular items at jobs such as babysitting, newspaper delivery, coachthe Show-Me 4-H ing, refereeing and occasional yard work with parenWares booth. Stutal consent (no work certificate needed). dents are encourSteve Henness, state 4-H youth specialist, develaged to turn their ops programs for 4-H youth to investigate entrepreproject or hobby neurship opportunities. Henness said the children he into a way to earn works with are as young as 10, and they are able to turn their 4-H projects into business ventures. They sell arts money. and crafts such as homemade candles, goat-milk soap and jewelry. One young man in 4-H even sold his own mushroom-growing kits. “Young people value the autonomy of starting something themselves or with a group of friends,” said Henness. “They have original ideas or ideas for how to do something better. They are also driven to create their own part-time work because of the economic trends. The jobs that teens and young people might normally do are being occupied by unemployed or underemployed adults.” At age 14 to 15, children are allowed to work in offices and retail stores if they have a work certificate that is issued by the superintendent, chief executive officer or principal of the school that they attend. Children who are homeschooled can get a work certificate issued by their parent. Asiah Rydman, 14, was approved for a work certificate just days after her 14th birthday. She works at Edge Wise Skate and Dance in Jefferson City. Her duties include working the cash register, answering the phones and Please see Job, p. 2
Story by Porcshe Moran pmoran@ newstribune.com
Kids could someday get on Facebook, without lying NEW YORK (AP) — Though Facebook bans children under 13, millions of them have profiles on the site by lying about their age. The company is now testing ways to allow those kids to participate without needing to lie. This would likely be under parental supervision, such as by connecting children’s accounts to their parents’ accounts. Like many other online services, Facebook prohibits kids younger than 13 because federal law requires companies to obtain parental consent if they want to collect information about those children. Such information collection is central to Facebook. Every photo or status update a kid
posts on Facebook could count as information collection. Many companies consider the parental-consent requirement too burdensome, so they simply ban all children under 13 instead. But that ban is difficult to enforce. In many cases, parents themselves help children skirt it by setting up profiles for them and lying about their ages. There are an estimated 7.5 million kids younger than 13 on Facebook, out of more than 900 million users worldwide. In a statement, Facebook noted many recent reports have highlighted “just how difficult it is to enforce age restrictions on the Internet, especially when parents want their children to
access online content and services.” “We are in continuous dialogue with stakeholders, regulators and other policymakers about how best to help parents keep their kids safe in an evolving online environment,” the company said. Few details are available on the nature of Facebook’s tests, which The Wall Street Journal reported on in Monday’s editions. Relaxing the ban on younger children could be a long way off, or never get implemented, as happens with many features that Facebook tests. The report comes just two weeks after Facebook began trading stock as a public company. Its stock price has fallen in part because of
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concerns about its ability to keep increasing revenue and make money from its growing mobile audience. To James Steyer, the CEO of the nonprofit Common Sense Media, Facebook’s discussions on permitting young kids to join is about expanding its audience — and profits. “With the growing concerns and pressure around Facebook’s business model, the company appears to be doing whatever it takes to identify new revenue streams and short-term corporate profits to impress spooked shareholders,” Steyer said in a statement. Please see Facebook, p. 2