Some say it's okay, and some say it's not. Should parents stop posting pictures of their children on social media?

Out of the 8.1 billion people in the globe, 5.35 billion use the Internet, a little less than that at 5.07 billion are on any form of social media platform, with 259 million new users just last year! In the US, 246 million people are active social media users. That’s a whopping 72.5% of America!

Social Media as a public space

Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok are just some of the most popular platforms that people use. At first, the most powerful reason we created these accounts was to get updates from close family and friends, and communicate with them real time despite our distance. 

However, social media use has expanded and has become more public. Over the course of social media history, it has become common for us to share photos, videos and updates of our personal lives. and we see many people share by posting, including parents sharing the exciting journey they have in parenting, reaching not only their close friends and family, but also potentially reaching the rest of the world. 

Taking it one step further, we even see some parents create content in vlogs, blogs, and pictures of their family, including their faces, names, birthdays, and other significant moments.  

The good side of sharing your parenting journey

What was once a limitation became a strength. With social media, parents are now able to create communities with fellow parents online, where they can help others, especially first-time parents to figure out parenting. 

Significant others who live away from parents also get updates of how the children are doing through sharing of online photos and videos- which was something harder to do before social media. 

The risks of sharing on social media

In recent years, discussion about the risks that come from sharing children’s photos online due to: 

• social media being public, 
• content posted will be on the Internet permanently (leaving digital footprint), 
• risks for others stealing identities using information they find online, 
• and lack of consent from the children when their own information was posted. 

Consent and Risk for Embarrassment. Would it be fair to say that children, after they are grown, have their own right to decide whether they want to share information about themselves publicly? 

Identity theft. There is a lot of data out now that the majority of photos and videos of children used in illegal and illicit websites have their source from social media. Parents also need to be cautious in posting about the child’s location. 

Online safety practices 

• Consider the child’s best interest before posting.

• Think about the child’s possible concern

• If the child is old enough, ask them if they feel comfortable sharing information about them online.

• Get to know the privacy settings of the social media platform

At the end of the day, while the children are young, it is the parents’ responsibility and privilege to care for their children and this includes making them safe, secure, and thriving in the online and offline space. 

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