Your child’s safety is your priority.
Every now and then we post a lot of our lives on social media. Most of us want to show people how well we are doing or just enlighten people about something in particular. However, when it comes to your child’s safety how far are you meant to go to protect him/her? as far as possible. In this day and age it’s easy to post something to make us feel less alone and parenting is just one of those things you’d like to post to get advice and feel less lonely. Should you really be hitting publish?
1. Invasion of privacy
Think about it, your child doesn’t know that you’re posting him or her. If you start posting your child from a young age they may end up becoming quite popular for whatever reason and before you know it, when they start being aware of their environment they may feel embarrassed about the content you are posting. The only way to avoid is by being careful about the content you actually post. You never want your child to feel like you’ve infringed their rights or becoming a potential slogan that will make them ridiculed or feel less secure.
2. Social media posts may be used for bullying
Let’s be honest, social media has a lot of bullies. Bullies who don’t care if it’s a baby or not. You might be able to protect them with your response but how will you protect your child when they are older and perhaps someone took a screenshot and started sharing it with other people? What will your child think and feel if they see your social media audience doesn’t react well to your update?
3. It can impact your child’s future
You don’t know what your child will choose to be in future but remember the internet never forgets, so what you choose to share can impact his/her life negatively. Think about how your post can affect their life especially if they would want to run for office or if their future employers does their own research and finds sensitive childhood memories there.
4. Puts them at risk for digital kidnapping
Yes, there’s something like digital kidnapping and it happens a lot more than you would expect. There are have been cases where someone can use your child’s photo and pretend like it’s their own. Someone might also use your child’s photo for an Ad or a post on website and originally someone should pay you for this but yet again you’ve given strangers the right to post your child’s photos without your consent or your child’s consent.
5. Your photos may be used by dangerous people
The online space is not always a safe space for children or for anyone. Imagine finding your child’s photo on a disturbing website that is for pornographic material? Keep in mind, if you post your child’s photos online and include the location, the school they go to or even where you live you’re actually putting your child at a great risk of actual kidnapping.