The Dangerous Reason Why You Should Never Post A Photo Of Your Child To Social Media Sites

If you’re like most parents, you are proud of your child and want to show them off to the world.

Your child’s first tooth. Their first day of school. Pictures of them playing with their friends.

What used to be private moments shared between close family and friends is now a public sport, but experts warn there’s a serious danger involved with posting photos of children to social media sites such as Facebook.

Parents may think posting photos is harmless, or may have never thought through the consequences, but it’s important to remember not everyone who uses social media has the best intentions.

Predators often patrol social media sites like Facebook looking to prey on innocent children.

Even though parents may think they are taking precautions by having their Facebook friend list set to “private”, once a picture is posted online there’s no telling where it will end up.

Often times people share other’s photos without their consent, which could lead to a photo of your child going viral, or ending up on the wrong person’s page.

In addition, if you are posting your location online, you are essentially drawing a map to exactly where you are with your child saying, “Here we are!”

A favorite park you always go to? Predators often like to hang out in areas frequented by children too.

And depending on your privacy settings, when you “check in” to a location, it is often public so others who aren’t on your friend list can see where you are.

Predators also study social media posts to learn patterns.

If you’re posting where your child goes to school, their favorite food, and other personal information, predators can gather this data and use it for ill.

The Wall Street Journal reported:

“A parent on average will post almost 1,000 photos of a child online before the child turns 5, according to a recent survey. Many parents don’t ask children’s permission before posting, and many have never checked their privacy settings—even though photos often contain data about where they were taken.

That leads many privacy advocates to urge restraint on parents. The risks of putting your child in danger now, or embarrassing them later, are too big to ignore, these critics say. The best course is to keep their photos off the Internet…

It can also be difficult for parents to keep in mind just who their actual audience is. They may be targeting grandparents in their posts, but on many sites, including Facebook, sharing to one’s whole network is the default that many never change, and photos are visible years in the future. It can also be hard to control re-sharing, so that photos that people think are private can eventually take on a life of their own.”

So, next time you have the urge to post a photo of your child to Facebook, think twice.

Instead of posting to Facebook, if you must share photos online, consider starting a private online album where only your family and close friends have access, and let them know you do not want your child’s photo shared.

Don’t “check in” to each location you go with your child, and carefully consider what private information you post online.

While it may seem cute to post personal photos online, the risk simply isn’t worth it.

Do you post pictures of your children on social media sites like Facebook?

Have you thought about the consequences of posting pictures of your children online?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.