Children’s Right to Privacy Starts With Us: Why I Don’t Share Photos of My Children Online
And why I think you shouldn’t also!
Parenting in the digital age is a whole new ballgame. One of the things that have changed the most is how we share pictures and videos of our kids.
It is so easy to take a picture or record a video and post it online for all to see. But I don’t do that. I don’t share photos of my kids to see their faces, and I do not share videos.
There are several reasons for me to do that. Since a few people asked recently about it, I decided it was an excellent topic to write about.
The most important reason is for their safety.
With the rise of online predators, sharing pictures and videos of my kids to see their faces is not worth the risk. I don’t want anyone to track them down or know where they live. It’s bad enough that there are so many creepy people in the world; I don’t need to make it easier for them by posting pictures of my kids online.
I also know that as they get older, they may not want those pictures or videos out there for everyone to see. So, I choose not to share them out of respect for them.
I want them to grow up without having every moment of their lives documented and shared with the world.
They can decide when they are adults if they’re going to share their lives online or not. Until then, I will keep their privacy protected.
So, that is why you won’t see any pictures of my kids on social media. It’s not because I don’t love posting about them, but somewhat out of respect for their privacy and safety.
I understand the impulse to want to share that cute picture, and on rare occasions, I have shared photos (with their faces covered). But this is more for us than for them. It feels great to see all those comments, but what are we doing?
We are normalizing the sharing of pictures of kids without their consent. We are teaching our kids that it’s okay for people to share them online without their permission, and that is not a lesson I want to teach my children.
I don’t know how I would feel if I had that experience. When I turned a teenager, I learned that my mother had been sharing my life with the rest of the world. I know I wouldn’t like it. So, until my kids are older and can make that decision for themselves, I will keep their pictures off social media.
I am a firm believer in children’s rights. They have a right to privacy, which begins at home. We are the first line of defense for our children, and we need to protect them as much as we can.
Parenting in the digital age is hard enough; let’s not make it harder than it needs to be.
Young children are not in a position to make decisions about their privacy. Parents need to be mindful of what they share with the world and how this might impact their child’s future.
Privacy is a fundamental human right.
Children have a right to privacy, and this should be respected. Children are usually not aware of the consequences of sharing personal information, so they need to be educated about the importance of privacy.
Parents should teach their children to protect themselves from the potential risks of sharing personal information online.
With the development of technology, people can get what they want at their fingertips. They can access information and share it with others more than before. But, this also brings many privacy issues that people need to know about. Parents are not an exception.
Parents must know that their children’s information is not safe on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. These sites have a lot of data about kids — where they go, who they talk to, what they wear, etc., which makes them vulnerable targets for cyberbullying or other online attacks.
Parents should set up parental controls to protect their children’s privacy on these sites and ensure that only approved people can see their children’s profiles.
It is also vital for parents to be aware of how social media can be used to track down kids.
For example, some apps allow people to find out the exact location of a person by tracking their phone number.
So, before posting anything about your child online — even something as innocent as a picture — make sure you know all the risks involved.
What do you think? Do you share pictures of your kids on social media? Why or why not? Share in the comments below!
This article first appeared in A Parent is Born.