LinkedIn has reduced its minimum age limit for members from 18 years to 13 years (in Ireland) in an attempt to attract younger users to a new university section of the website. The new feature aims to give prospective students access to information about colleges and the ability to connect with other students and alumni.
While extra security measures will be put in place to protect the privacy of younger users, this doesn’t take away from the fact that this new move is pushing kids to define themselves early and put the facade on display at a very young age. Perhaps a little prematurely?
According to LinkedIn, “Smart, ambitious students are already thinking about their futures when they step foot into high school – where they want to go to college, what they want to study, where they want to live and work. We want to encourage these students to leverage the insights and connections of the millions of successful professionals on LinkedIn”.
Yes. But surely not at the tender young age of 13? This is a time when kids should be focusing on self exploration – exploring their likes and dislikes, a time to start unearthing and nurturing their talents.
LinkedIn can wait.
Sinéad Ni Ghaora
Account Director