We are living in a different time these days. It's so easy to snap a cute photo of your kid And post them on your facebook. Showing all your friends and family.
Many people don't think much of this; I mean family members can always visit to see the child.
But is this okay?
Disclaimer: I do not have kids personally, But As more and more people I went to school with, Have kids. My Facebook is being populated with photos of their children. This post is not meant to tell anyone how to raise their kids, But I wanted to provide something for everyone to think about.
Did you ask Permission?
While you are the parent, You shouldn't have to ask permission for most things. (I"m a bit old fashioned with that.) The internet should always be an exception.
There is nothing wrong with taking photos for scrapbooks and memories sake. But when you post them on Facebook for all to see, That could be embarrassing to the child; It also could have long-term negative effects.
Even if your Facebook only has friends and family on it. It only takes one button to make it public. I also don't trust Facebook in general.
Same goes with Steemit; it's public.
You are creating an online identity about your child, The moment you post them online. This may not be the identity they want to have; It could be embarrassing. We all have thoughts on who we want to be on the internet. And we have a right to that identity. I am so glad social media didn't exist when I was a kid. Because I know those pictures of me sitting on the countertop, In nothing but my underwear, Licking the BBQ chicken pan Would be extremely embarrassing for people to see. Having BBQ all over my face and chest.
What I like about children stock photos, Is they are anonymous. We don't know who these kids are.
Pornography and Identity Theft
People seem less worried about it these days. I remember back when I was a teen When I posted a selfie on Myspace. That was a BIG deal.
Posting photos of yourself were like a horrible thing to do back in that day. Or at least so my parents said. They were furious when they saw a low quality, Pixelated selfie I posted.
Posting photos of your children also give the creeps access to those photos. They could end up on child pornography sites, Or eventually by posting too much info on your child, Could lead to identity theft. People underestimate how easy it does this kind of stuff.
I experimented with this... I took a person I went to school with. Although I didn't' even know her personally. I never spoke to her at all. I went on her facebook. I then logged out. I saw that her email was public.
So I entered her email address. And put the "I forgot the password." I then went on her email provider. And put "Forgot password." The security questions came up for me to answer.
- What is the name of your best friend?
- What is your favorite color?
So I looked at her Facebook And noticed she is constantly talking to this one girl. So I put her name.... It worked.
Favorite color... Hmmm... I took an educated guess, Based purely on the color I saw her wearing in a lot of her photos... Correct.
I got into her email and Facebook.
Oh yeah, and by the way, I wasn't even friends with her on Facebook. I used completely public information...
This just shows how scarily easy it is to violate another person's privacy. I could probably get in trouble for admitting I even did this, but this happened years ago. I don't do stuff like that anymore.
You revealing snippets of information can lead to predators getting more and more info. There are plenty of websites out there that allow you to get the marriage info, Address, birthdays, Etc for less than ten bucks. It's all public!
If you do share photos of your kid online, Make sure they are completely clothed. If they have a towel, A swimsuit, or even a hospital gown, Avoid posting it. You don't know what kind of sicko could be out there looking at those photos.
I have a couple of facebook friends who have posted nude photos of their babies on Facebook.
It's gross And weird. No offense, But I don't care to see your baby naked. I get it; It's just a "baby." But why not post a cute picture of your baby wearing a cute little Winnie the Pooh shirt or something? I just don't get the nude part. Why? Whats the point honestly? Unless you need to send them to your doctor because you need help something. There is no reason for that.
We Don't know the future
Another scary thing about posting photos of your child, Is we don't' know the future of technology. We already have this incredible thing called the internet that allows us to see what anyone in the world is up to. What are other things going to happen? Better facial recognition software?
Eventually, we may have websites that can pull all your photos that were ever posted online, and put them in a folder for all to see. Because it knows your face.
You aren't giving your child a fair chance with that kind of thing. What if they don't want people to see their baby pictures? All their privacy would be ripped from their hands.
The adverse effects I posted above, In you not asking for permission to post...
What if a future employer sees the photos? These days its really common for an employer to check the person's Facebook of the person they are thinking of hiring. Sure, You may think a baby picture might not be a big deal. But sometimes people have the bias that may not be on the surface. Something stupid or petty may be in the photo that's off-putting to them. They may make assumptions based on that photo. Maybe in the background, the employer can see that your house is a mess. The employer might make the assumption that you raised your child in a dirty environment. As a result, Your kid may also be dirty, or disorganized. Which can be a negative quality in the workplace. When the reality is, you may have just had a dirty house for that day, Or your kid may be a clean freak.
These new generations of kids might see MORE discrimination when it comes to the hiring process. And a big part of it, will be from oversharing.
Conclusion
There are some serious harmful effects of oversharing your kids online!
Each parent should be cautious about doing it and think what is best for their kid! Many of us may not think too much about it when we are sharing online, Especially as it becomes an everyday thing, But It can have some serious harmful effects!
