When I read the announcement post on this contest, I was excited to participate and I immediately thought of the picture of my friends who were busy on their cellphones. I was also using my cell phone at that time but it wasn't that focused so I noticed them and took a picture of them.

![received_761164732297423.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmTLpG39TTj26ecNk4rkBJFeVnxyS9gCD4MFDL7SuCkcy5/received_761164732297423.jpeg)_Stolen shots by me, they're my close friends(throwback photo, I think this was taken year 2018)_

As far as I can remember, I got a smartphone when I was 22 years old. But I had a Facebook account when I was 18 years old, and my BFF was the one who created my Facebook account and also taught me how to use Facebook on the computer because we were only able to open Facebook at the internet cafe at that time, the year 2011.

Since I had a Facebook account, it seems that I have opened my Facebook less than five times. Until four years have passed since my bff made me a Facebook account, I got a smartphone and since then I have always been able to use Facebook, especially messenger.

What my professor said stuck in my mind is that we should be careful of what we post on our Facebook timeline because when we apply for a job someday, one of the things the company people will look at is your Facebook account to see what kind of person you are. Even if you delete the post, they will still see it.

So when I had a smartphone and I was on Facebook, I never really posted resentments or offensive posts on FB, even now. I always think a million times before posting and ask for an opinion from my hubby before clicking the post button.

Since last year until now, I made a new Facebook account, I didn't add friends and accepted friend requests when I don't know that person. Because in my old account, there are so many fb friends that I don't know, sometimes someone I know asked me if I know them because we are mutual friends, but I don't know that person.

I know some people that I don't even add as friends here on my new FB account because I don't want to see their posts that will post fights, mistakes of their husbands, and weaknesses of the whole family to be shouted to the whole world, they don't care to embarrass their family, others fight at fans of the other political party, etc. So even if I know them, I won't add them as a friend to my new FB account, I don't want to see toxic posts on my FB newsfeed. So I only add friends the people I know who like to post inspiring posts.

I hope they will realize that not to post things like that on social media and that they will only post for inspiration. Give yourself at least a little respect, don't let the whole world know about your whole life and bad sides especially don't embarrass the whole family. Use social media correctly and to inspire people, don't use it to embarrass yourself and your entire family and hurt other people.

We don't realize that we are losing the right path if we don't manage our social media accounts properly, everyone in the world revolves around social media. So we need to be wise and vigilant in using our social media accounts.

In my new account, I set privacy on it, my timeline is set only for friends, but sometimes when I post my products for sale and other personal posts, I change it to public audiences so that future customers can see that post and also my friends able to share the post so that more potential customers can see my post.

The only thing I always post on my new FB account is my baby's milestones, but I don't post all of his milestones there. I rarely post products on my timeline too because I created a Facebook page for my preloved Kidswear products. All my products for sale are posted there.

Now that I'm a mother or parent, I always ask myself at what age my baby Exo I buy or give a cellphone to him as his cellphone. Maybe 12 or 16? I even ask some of my friends who are already mothers and have more experience than me. One of them said that age does not matter, it is up to the parents how to guide them in using cell phones or social media.

I pondered what she said. But I told myself that when Exo is 12 years old, I will give him a cellphone. But that's not the final decision yet hahaha. Until I read some entries here, one of the entries I read was that 12 years old was the right age for a person to use social media. So my decision is final when my baby Exo is 12 years old, I will give him cellphone and can create fb account. He will only be 3 years old on May 26, 2023.

He can use Facebook, YouTube, Google and online game app, but I still have to monitor it and set a timeline for all of that. I don't want him to be like hubby's nephew who is so addicted to his cell phone that you can hardly ask him to do house chores like washing the dishes. I always ask him to come out from their house to play with my baby Exo outside, but he always refuses because he is busy in the cellphone.

That's one of the disadvantages I see in hubby's nephew, he has his cellphone and Facebook account at an early age. I can see sometimes in his posts that he seems to be an old man talking in the comment box with his friends on one of his posts that I don't want to see my son do that someday. Another disadvantage of having a smartphone and social media is that the people you are with will be away from you because you no longer talk, and you are all busy facing your social media accounts on the cellphone.

But it also has many advantages if we manage it properly. One of them is our families, friends who are far away can talk to us and we can even see them and the sadness of being away from them is lessened. God's words can be spread through social media. And like me, I can sell Kidswear online on the Facebook social media platform.

If we think that social media is more hi-tech today than 10 years ago, it will be even more hi-tech in the future. So again, let's be wise and vigilant always.

Based on my observations, Facebook and Tiktok are the leading social media platforms here in the Philippines. YouTube followed and Instagram came last.

![Screenshot_20230301_081004_com.huawei.android.launcher.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmYtC54UuWAQmZyrmjF5NKAi2hzTtaCv3YgLa7gQ8MAakW/Screenshot_20230301_081004_com.huawei.android.launcher.jpg)_These are the social media platforms I use now, Facebook for updates, communication tools for my family and friends who are far away and of course for my small online business. Youtube for things I don't know how to do. I just go to YouTube University and look for video tutorials, especially food recipes. Noiseapp and Steemit for my online side hustle so I can earn crypto coins. (My cellphone wallpaper, own screenshot)_

Bro @yansk09, sis @usagigallardo15, sis @flordecar26 let's join this amazing contest of the Steemit Philippines community. I want to know your opinions too of what is the right age of the person using smartphones and social media accounts, it may help me as a new mom. Thank you.

Posted: 03.01.23 -gemeex