Do you stop and think about the future every time you share a family photo on your Facebook page? Do you ask your kids if they want you to share that picture of them playing in the tub with their brother? Do you know what kind of information is public regarding your kids?
Most parents have probably posted more than a few pictures of their kids online, but most of us haven’t really thought about how our kids will react to them when they are older. According to James Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media and author of “Talking Back to Facebook,” there are a few things we can do to help keep information and photos private.
- Turn off geo-location services on your phone.
- Don’t tag kids in photos.
- Do not post kids’ addresses, birth dates, or full names on social media in order to protect their privacy.
- Do not post other kids’ photos online without asking their parents.
This is new territory that many of us haven’t had time to think about. However, we need to start recognizing that not all kids want everyone seeing their pictures online.
This also brings up the question of YouTube videos. Should you post that video of your kid throwing a tantrum? What about all those videos of parents telling their kids they ate all their holiday candy or giving their kids crappy Christmas presents? When kids are old enough, they may resent their parents for posting those things online for the world to watch, over and over again.
How do you decide what or what not to post online when it comes to your kids?
