Marion - I think you are right to be concerned. There are parental controls that would probably be OK for the 8 year old but as regards your GD it would probably be a good idea to discuss with her the pitfalls of facebook/twitter and so on. If your daughter doesn't feel up to the task, it might be an idea to mention it at her school. I'm sure it's a common problem and one that an IT teacher might like to address with the children or give advice to the parents. I wouldn't personally be keen on such a young teenager having a facebook account but this is very much an individual thing, as some kids of that age can be very mature.