Kids And Social Media: Parents Also Have To Be Careful

Once upon a time, parents can embarrass their children by getting out photo albums during parties, with the bad haircuts, tantrums, and photo bloopers. Today, things are faster - and more open in the digital world with newborns getting their own online presence within 24 hours of being born.

While parents are understandably proud of the life they brought to the world, it is not always healthy for everyone in cyberspace to know what your kids are up to. As Health Day noted, these days, parents are almost expected to post photos of their kids online to give their friends and families updates on how they are doing, without really considering the consequences.

While an old photo could turn up in Facebook as a "memory," personal informations such as behavioral issues and struggles that your child is personally going through could be made public, and this has psychological repercussions for the children involved. What's even worse, these posts can give information to those who should not lay a hand on them: identity thieves, kidnappers, and pedophiles.

Dr. Bahareh Keith, an assistant of pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine said that parents should be more careful in cultivating a media presence for their children. She also offered some advice on how to post better online, such as avoiding photos with your child in "any state of undress," as well as avoiding giving away your child's precise location.

For parents who are struggling and looking for help in the cyber-world, it is recommended that information-sharing should be kept anonymous. And while these precautions are to keep kids safe, it is also a move to respect their privacy.

It is natural for parents to want to focus on their kids in social media networks, but Dr. David Lloyd-Hill, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communications and Media said that while we need to monitor our children's social media posts, it is important that parents take a look at their own: while getting your child snatched off the street is unlikely to happen, the information shared about them should not in any way hurt them - today or for the many years down the road.