Image: Shutterstock
Have you heard of the term sharenting? It is one of the new social media driven phenomena that the era of cyber networking has brought forth. This is when parents use social media to share their children’s pictures and regular updates with the public at large. Unfortunately, even when parents and caregivers have pure intentions, publishing photographs of their children might make them vulnerable to online predators. Here are some kinds of photos of your kids you should never post online without blurring and omitting vital information. Read on to know them all.
1. School Photos Of Your Kids
Image: Shutterstock
Images of your child’s school uniform might reveal where they study. Back-to-school photographs may appear harmless, but they are not. Photos of your kid wearing their school dress may attract predators who may quickly identify the institution your child attends. A dress code is only one hazard associated with sharing school photographs online. Even subtle elements in the backdrop, such as a school or a sports club emblem, might provide enough details about your child’s location to put them in danger.
2. Photographs With Name Labels
Image: Shutterstock
Photos of your child wearing a name tag might expose their identity. If you insist on posting the picture, ensure that the tag and the names are blurred. You should also avoid showing any school badge or building in the background, making it easier for cyber predators to locate them.
3. You Should Disable Geotagging Data For All Of Your Photos
Image: Shutterstock
It is also a good idea to look over your social media privacy settings and ensure that you share images of your children only with people you trust. Pictures may have metadata that reveals where you are and what time it was clicked. Such information can be dangerous in the hands of the wrong person.
4. Images That Depict Your Child’s Bare Body
Image: Shutterstock
We know they are just babies, and they look like angels even when they are dressed in nothing. However, once we post an image on the internet, we no longer have control over how it gets circulated. You do not know who can view, copy, or distribute it. Posting pictures of your child’s naked or partially-clothed body on the internet might attract online predators or make your kid feel humiliated when they are older and discover the images.
5. Images Depicting Tantrums Or Poor Behavior
Image: Shutterstock
Photos depicting your child’s disobedience or other types of vulnerability may also cause embarrassment and frustration when they are viewed online. Even if the cause of your child’s anguish sounds amusing enough to tell, keep in mind that it may be a genuine tragedy for your child, and their sentiments shouldn’t be laughed at.
6. Pictures With Other kids
Image: Shutterstock
While attempting to secure your children’s identity online, do not disregard the security of other children. Do not upload images of other children; if you do, blur any additional information that might identify their name or location. Try not to click pictures in front of famous monuments that will reveal their location and make it easier for people to target them. Also, if you want to take a kid’s picture, ensure you get the parents’ permission before clicking and uploading the photo online. As a community, you must look out for each other’s kids.
Why Has Uploading Pictures Become Unsafe?
Image: Shutterstock
We know how irresistible it is to click cute pictures of your baby and preserve the precious memory forever. However, clicking the image is not the problem here. The whole trouble starts when you upload it onto social media. The moment you put your baby’s photo online, you are making the picture visible to numerous people whose intentions with the information in the image are not something you would want to play with. As children are the easiest prey, sharing a picture makes it easy for people to keep track of the places your child visits or goes. So if there is any way to keep them safe from harm, you ought to do it.
If you want to keep the picture safe, you can print them out and paste them into albums that will stay forever. You can also save the photos in a drive, but make sure you don’t share access with people other than family and friends. If you are on a family vacation and want to share your pictures, ensure you don’t upload them until you are back home.
Social media is both a bane and a boon depending on how responsibly you use it. Even when your kids grow up and take hold of their own social media, they should know the risks that come with it. Compliments on our pictures make us feel victorious, but sometimes it invites trouble as well. So, what is your trick to posting baby pictures safely on the internet? Let us know in the comments section!
