Your social media feeds are probably filled with pictures of your friends’ kids (or complete strangers’ kids), especially during back-to-school, Halloween or birthday parties. While we ohh and ahh over these pictures, a question always comes to my mind — how much is too much?
Everyone is proud of their kids, and they should be. Let’s be honest… all parents reading this post would tell me their children are special and ‘above average’ at key capabilities. So it’s understandable that parents would want to show off their kids as much as possible. But should their be limits?
As a parent, how do you decide when to begin creating your child’s digital footprint? How do you determine what to post? Is anything acceptable — especially for young children? Naked pictures in the bathtub or sitting on a toilet? Do you worry about these pictures cropping up 20 years in the future?
I’m not a parent, so I’m curious of the thought process surrounding these questions — if there’s one at all. As a relative, do you post pictures of your nieces, nephews or cousins automatically? Or do you check with the child’s parents first? Do you share pictures of your relatives’ children to your social networks, which probably include friends outside of whoever posted the picture?
I’m not judging; I’d love to start a discussion and hear different points of view on this subject. Obviously, when my generation was growing up, there weren’t social media networks to share every aspect of your life on 24/7. Digital cameras or phones with cameras weren’t around either, so our parents didn’t take nearly as many pictures of us as kids as parents do today. It’s a different world!
So my question is… kids and social media = what’s the right answer?
Join the discussion!
Cheers,
Jaime
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As you know, I am engulfed in everything tech, and this is a question that I will soon have to address as my oldest is now 11. Right now I make my boys a part of my social activity. I share my feeds, so they get an idea of what I post and what my friends post. I also share with them the mistakes people make on social media. One of my mantras is… respect the line. No matter how much I might like something, no matter how passionate I feel, I always respect the line. If anything is near the line, I don’t post it. Sometimes I really want to. I teach my boys the same thing. Post on the side of caution. Respect the line. Well Jaime, you have done it again… This would be a good blog post!
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Thanks for chiming in, Lance. Your situation mirrors what so many others are facing right now. We live in such a rapidly changing world that it’s tough to always know what’s appropriate. I love the fact that you’re giving your kids a taste of social media before they actually get accounts. Kudos!
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