How to share photos while protecting our children’s privacy online
‘Sharenting’ is common practice today, but be sure you’re protecting your child’s privacy online
What proud parent doesn’t want to share all those cute moments with friends and family? And social media is the obvious way to do it, but we need to be sure we’re keeping our little ones safe online.
What we don’t always think about is how sharing photos results in our children having a digital footprint often before their first birthday.
Today’s parents have instant access via social media to share that first smile or that cute toothless grin picture to everyone they know.
This way of sharing photos of our little ones is known as ‘sharenting’ and the word has even made it into the dictionary. But is it the best way to share with our friends and family?
Is it safe to share this information on social media?
If you are sharing photos of your children on social media, it’s essential to check your privacy settings before posting anything online to control who sees your posts. Ensure it’s set so only friends and family can see your posts.
Avoid revealing too much information such as where they go to nursery.
What does sharenting mean for our children when they grow up?
Sharing images of our children creates a digital footprint for them before they have the option to choose.
A digital footprint is a person’s unique set of traceable digital activities, on the Internet or digital devices. So, when a parent shares information about their child it is creating a passive digital footprint for the child as the information has been deliberately shared about them on websites or social media.
It’s important to remember that every time we share on social media we are giving away our child’s personal information and allowing the possibility of strangers accessing the images.
Your child may be concerned about having a history of potentially embarrassing photos available as they grow up!
What’s the alternative to sharing images with friends and family but not on social media?
The Joy Album app is a great option to give you the freedom to share images with exactly who you choose to. Joy, Bounty’s sister app, celebrates all your life stories in organized albums. Whether you want to share your wedding photos, holiday snaps or all your baby’s first moments and key milestones, you can share them all side by side in a single place. Your albums can be shared with your friends and family whenever you choose without the need to share any photos on social media.