Sharing is caring, that’s what we teach our children. But where are the boundaries when it comes to sharing pictures of your children online? Do you indulge in sharenting – the practice of over-sharing pictures and details about your children on social media? This seems to be a very divisive topic, and parents tend to have strong opinions about it.
For me, my stance has changed recently. Before I started blogging I thought nothing of putting a picture of my child / children onto my personal Facebook page. That said, they were pretty few and far between, and only the most cute ones made it on there (I always had that Goonies meme at the back of my head). I certainly posted a lot less than other people.
Change of Mindset
Since I’ve started ‘working’ as a blogger I post even less now. I think I’m more aware now that my children aren’t going to be happy when they’re teenagers and come across an embarrassing photo I posted of them years before. No one wants to see a picture of my son sat on the toilet, even if he is pulling a funny face. They’re not old enough to have a say at the moment, and I feel like I need to be mindful of it. Particularly on my business pages, where I do review products and services, I make sure that their faces can not be seen or they can’t be identified. I’ve no idea if I’ll still be blogging in ten years time, and I don’t want any skeletons being uncovered! Yes, I might be being over cautious now but there’s also the other factors.
What does the future look like?
Barclays have commissioned a report which says that by 2030, when our children are adults, they could be subject to online fraud worth over £600 million per year. This will be as a result of over-sharing of their personal information now. I’ve certainly been taken aback by this research; I’d never thought about the fact that information about my children such as DOB, name of school, my maiden name could be readily available on my social media accounts.
There are also many horror stories of photos of children being taken from social media and used for unspeakable purposes. These stories may or may not be an exaggeration (sadly I think it’s the latter) but it’s a risk I’m not willing to take. We also have no ultimate control over the data held by social media companies, in this day and age would you really be surprised to hear of a major data leak or hack?
The Way Forward
I’m not saying that my viewpoint is the right one, and I certainly wouldn’t want to censor anyone. My approach from now one will definitely be one of Think Before I Post, is what I’m posting free of personal information about my children?
* This is a sponsored post, opinions are my own and not endorsed by Barclays
I’m always very careful at sharing pictures online – my stepdaughter I always ask before sharing pictures of and I have done since she was about 5 (old enough to understand) and if she said no then I would respect that! #ItsOk
That sounds like a great approach!
I have read a few post similar to this lately and they really have me questioning my own actions. As it is, at the moment I do share pictures of my children but never anything that they would be embarrassed to see when they are older. I like Sarah @ Mummykind’s approach above, I think I will adopt that one too so at least my eldest has a say in what photos can be shared. But I also realise that our kids are growing up in a digital age where sharing photos will just be the norm for them as they grow. I suppose all we can do is as much as we can to protect them now. #ItsOk
Yes, it’s a really hard thing to try and predict how things will be in the future. Any steps we can take now to protect them and their information will be worthwhile.
This is so important and on my mind as a new mummy blogger. I’ve always been wary of sharing information about myself but even more so with the littlest Inspiration. I want her to be involved but I don’t want pictures of her everywhere. I’m not sure how to find the right line. We just dont know where the whole social media thing is going and they don’t get a say. However, i’m fairly sure what she looks like as a baby won’t be what she looks like as a child or adult, so there is that.
I agree, it’s really hard to find the balance, I’m going with ‘no faces’ at the moment as they’re too young to have a proper say!
Here’s my take on the issue, along with views from other mums, if you fancy a read
https://talesfrommamaville.com/mumspeak-6-sharenting-stop/
Such an important yet subjective issue, this. But in the end I guess each to his own – as long as you and your family/ children are comfortable. Thanks for linking up with us at #itsok
Thank you, I think it’s such an important issue and we all have our own viewpoints on it! It’s so hard to know what the future holds.
I’m glad I found someone who thinks like me! When my babies were little I definite over shared. I keep a very small Facebook circle, but even so, as years went on I stopped posting them. If I do, it’s a rare occasion. As a blogger I decided to not put their faces online. It’s so important that their privacy is protected. I didn’t realize the fraud thing you are talking about but it’s so true. Sharenting comes with its own set of issues.
Snap! Yes, it’s scary, even though I don’t post a lot, the fraud thing is something which I hadn’t really contemplated before, I will now!
This is really interesting. It’s something I always worry about which is why I always try and take strategic shots without full view. Online photo stealing is becoming more and more common.It worries me what the future holds! #itsok
I agree, the future is so uncertain, it’s scary.
I have blogged about this before too and I agree with you. I worry that our children will not have any privacy and they wouldn’t want their photos online. The future is scary so it’s best to be cautious. Great post. X