Social |To share or not to share your child’s images online?
Wanting to share your child’s images online with family and friends is almost now natural. But are you putting the innocent children at risk by over-sharing?
To share or not to share? That is the questions that most people now ask themselves when it comes to uploading images on the many social media sites. With so many family and friends abroad, it is a great way to keep in touch and share the moments that they are missing in your child’s life.
And of course when they do something adorable or strange, there is that sense of urgency to share it with everyone.
However, are you putting a child at risk by posting their every move online? It is a debate that continues to divide opinion amongst parents. Some have adopted a strict zero tolerance towards posting images online, and they naturally expect others to respect that decision. You may love that image of your child and their friends, but there are some who may not be too happy if you post it. Always ask the child’s permission before you share.
One of the biggest risks of sharing pictures online is the fact that you simply don’t know who can see or use those images. There have been many cases of people illegally using images of children for their own personal or professional use. And with social media companies changing their privacy settings so often, you also don’t know what is being protected and what is not.
According to a survey by the University of Michigan, over 50 per cent of parents offer up personal information alongside their photos that could identify a child’s location and 27 per cent have shared inappropriate pictures of their baby.
Being more aware online is key to ensuring the protection of your child online. Here are some tips:
- Know your privacy settings
From thieves to dangerous individuals, there are many that are only too willing to take advantage of unsuspecting individuals. Turn off your location settings to off if you do not want people to be able to figure out where you and your children live.
- Only share with people who care
Do you really know everyone on your social media site? And can you trust them that they are responsible with their own privacy settings. Only share your images with those that will protect your images in a way you would.
- Explore private social networks
Private social networks offer a secure way to share the pictures of your children with your family and friends.
