Dec 7, 2015
In a world where people eagerly post 500 pictures of their babies and children, I'd like to remind you that once that photo is online, there is a pedophile doing something sexual things to it.
What? Too much?
Listen, please keep certain pictures to yourself to cherish the innocence of your children open-mouth kissing or being naked. If you would post a picture of your best friend and his/her sibling open mouth kissing without their consent, don't do it to your children. Just because they don't understand and don't know what you are putting out there doesn't make it acceptable.
I don't care what protections you have on your social media of choice - or think you have. It's a risk that has ramifications yet to be fully understood.
Every time you post a photo of you baby or child, you are creating an online identity without any consent from that person. These photos will always exist as your child struggles to find his/herself. Your child will not have the same control over his/her identity that you did as an adult signing up for your own account. Birth photos, pooping photos, crying photos, naked photos - all these will already be out there for the child to deal with, probably alone and probably under the watchful eye of his/her peers and generation.
I understand that's hard to fully understand these things because parents and family of small children can be very self-centric when it comes to the accessory that is the child. It is a world my generation - and probably your generation - never had to live in, but as an adult with power over a child, you need to be hyper aware of the future.
You are the adult. Protect them before you satisfy your vanity and wave your child's life and identity around as a way to get attention for yourself. Or worse, wave it hard enough that the local pedophile shows up at your child's school - remember those first day of school pictures? - with all the information needed to grab your child.
What? Too much?
Listen, please keep certain pictures to yourself to cherish the innocence of your children open-mouth kissing or being naked. If you would post a picture of your best friend and his/her sibling open mouth kissing without their consent, don't do it to your children. Just because they don't understand and don't know what you are putting out there doesn't make it acceptable.
I don't care what protections you have on your social media of choice - or think you have. It's a risk that has ramifications yet to be fully understood.
Every time you post a photo of you baby or child, you are creating an online identity without any consent from that person. These photos will always exist as your child struggles to find his/herself. Your child will not have the same control over his/her identity that you did as an adult signing up for your own account. Birth photos, pooping photos, crying photos, naked photos - all these will already be out there for the child to deal with, probably alone and probably under the watchful eye of his/her peers and generation.
I understand that's hard to fully understand these things because parents and family of small children can be very self-centric when it comes to the accessory that is the child. It is a world my generation - and probably your generation - never had to live in, but as an adult with power over a child, you need to be hyper aware of the future.
You are the adult. Protect them before you satisfy your vanity and wave your child's life and identity around as a way to get attention for yourself. Or worse, wave it hard enough that the local pedophile shows up at your child's school - remember those first day of school pictures? - with all the information needed to grab your child.
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