Sharing pictures of our kids with friends and family is one of the most popular uses of social media and has become an everyday way to stay in touch. But it’s worth knowing the facts before posting pictures or letting other people post pictures of your kids.

Most people who have a relationship with a child will have posted, or thought about posting something about them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at some point. But is it safe, or even ethical to publish something about someone who can’t give their approval? And as the business models of social networking sites change and digital technology develops, could these innocent snapshots someday come back and bite our children on the behind?

Adults are not the only ones who are worried about digital privacy. According to a report by the Family Online Safety Institute, 76% of teenagers are very or somewhat concerned about their privacy, or being harmed by their online activity.

Blogger Njeri Wangari raised the issue when she wrote the Afromum blog [dangers of posting photos of your child online], but parent had their rebuttal in the form of ‘He/She is my kid and I shall do whatever I please online with their content.

So before you go open an IG for your 1 day old kid here are some negative effects:

Digital Footprints; It where kidnappers follows your movements using your current location which is mostly shown while you post a photo. Photos will show also cloth you’re in which makes it easy to retrace you.

Losing Control of your images; one share child photo online it had to have central of how image is used. There are several cases have been evident people used image of disabled children which they download direct from social media asking for crowd funding.

You can’t take it back! Once you’ve posted that picture, it becomes public property even if you deleted it. They still remain in space.

Digital kidnapping; in which individuals or companies steal children’s images and use their images in advertisements or more sinister things. Sometimes, these virtual photo thieves will pass the snapshots off as their own.

Rendering to canvasser Child psychologist Dr Richard Woolf son believes social media has detached the barricades between a young person’s public and private self, leaving them susceptible and exposed to danger by gripping allotment online.

“Children are gaining access to social media sites at a fledgling age, which could expose them to content, people or situations that are out of their depth and which they’re coldly prepared for,” he said. “Parents need to maintain an open exchange of ideas and encourage children to share both good and bad online experiences, and make sure they keep up with the latest social media trends and work with their children rather than trying to control them’’.

 

- Ad -