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Every parent thinks their little one is the cutest baby in the world, and the whole world deserves to see their pictures every now and then. There is nothing wrong with clicking pictures of your precious little child, but uploading them on social media is where the problem begins. Also, as your child grows up, they may start to think that their virtual image is all that matters. Parents today have the tools of social media and phone cameras to record and broadcast every developmental milestone of their kids rather than keeping these moments to themselves. Researchers found 81% of children younger than 2 years had some online presence, demonstrating how pervasive this “sharenting” phenomenon has become (1). Taking pictures of children is generally safe, but doing so excessively might negatively affect them. In this article, we have made a list of the issues that arise when parents take too many photographs of their children. Read on to know them all.
1. They Might Get The Idea That The Universe Revolves Around Them
Your child may develop an exaggerated feeling of self-worth if parents frequently shoot images of only them without including their siblings or friends. In addition, the constant presence of cameras might lead kids to believe that they are the center of attention. They might even take the initiative to grab the camera and snap some shots on their own.
2. They Could Be Too Hard On Themselves
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If their photos don’t get a lot of likes, some kids may start picking apart what they’re missing. They may demand nicer clothes and become fixated with photo effects. A worst-case scenario is if they have buddies whose photos consistently outperform their own. One research indicated that girls who spend a great deal of time looking at images on Facebook are now more dissatisfied with their weight, so it’s not good for their self-esteem to compare themselves to others in this way (2).
3. They Could Feel Humiliated
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Kids may want to avoid numerous pictures of themselves as children posted online once they’re adults. When kids become popular, their parents’ embarrassing childhood photos of them online might damage their reputation. Another issue is “child-shaming,” in which parents use the internet sharing of disciplinary images or films to punish their children. If the photographs become viral, the kids could feel too embarrassed to talk to their classmates about what happened.
4. Their Private Life May Become Public
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Children typically don’t have a say in whether or not their parents should publish their images online, as kids. However, one research found that parents who often share photos of their children did so because they felt obligated due to the ongoing trends (3). As a result, many parents are caught between the desire to keep their children’s personal lives private and the want to share their children’s experiences, despite the risk that their children would grow to hate them.
5. They Might Face A Lot Of Discrimination
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Because of the anonymity provided by the internet, cyberbullying may spread rapidly. Pictures of kids posted online might make them vulnerable to bullying and harassment from people worldwide because of their appearance.
6. They Can Be Vulnerable To Identity Theft
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Parents may reveal private information about their children, such as their real names, birth dates, and genders while posting images of them online. In addition, because kids have no credit history, identity fraudsters may target children. As a result, they may not be able to rent an apartment, receive credit, or find work later in life.
7. They Will Be Too Bothered About What Others Think Of Them
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Researchers in 2018 found that before 24 months of age, children are already concerned about how others see them (4). The effects of putting children on video and into the public eye on social media are hard to predict. They could change their behavior based on what their parents say to them or what they read about themselves online. They could be influenced by the thoughts and opinions of others expressed on social media.
Even though saving a few precious photos of your child won’t do any harm, you must do it carefully. The best way to keep the images out of harm’s way is to print them out and save them in an album. You can also save it in a drive where it will stay visible only to you. Then, once your child is of age, they will know how to safely upload their photos and be out of harm’s way. So, what is your trick to keeping your children’s photos safe? Let us know in the comments section!
