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Share: What is it and can it harm children?

When sharing children’s photos and videos on social media, experts say it’s important for parents to keep their children’s best interests in mind so as not to over-share and protect their privacy. , avoiding possible worst-case scenarios like identity fraud. Future.

This behavior is called “sharing” and occurs when parents publish sensitive content about their young children on internet platforms, often without consent because the child may be too young to provide or understand the full scope of what they agree on.

According to a 2020 UK study, the average parent will post 1,500 pictures of their child online before the age of five. The study also noted that nearly a third of parents surveyed said they had never thought about asking their children’s permission before posting with 55% saying they weren’t worried about the consequences.

While parental posts may seem innocuous, studies estimate “sharing” will play a role in two-thirds of identity fraud cases faced by youth by 2030. Parents also unwittingly put their children at risk of hacking, facial recognition tracking, pedophilia, and other online threats to privacy and security when excessively sharing on the Internet, experts say. social media.

Child development and parenting expert Caron Irwin told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview Wednesday it’s important for parents to use their “best judgment” themselves when they post photos and videos of their children online.

If photographs document childhood development, such as first steps or first words, and are only available to certain family members through a person’s social media channels , she says that is likely in the best interests of the child.

However, if it’s a photo or video that the child might feel embarrassed about as they get older, or if a parent is sharing content “just for the sake of sharing,” she says probably not.

“I think it’s important to make sure that what you’re sharing is positioning them in a good light and something that if they look back on it, they’ll understand your intentions and have their thoughts and feelings about it. Such positive emotions. It,” said Irwin.

She adds that this is especially important when it comes to sharing photos and videos of younger children, who may not be asked for consent.

However, Irwin said parents should start talking to their children about consent regarding online content early on. She said children between the ages of three and six can grasp some of the basic parameters of a social network.

Irwin suggests parents show their kids what they want to post online first and ask them if they agree with it. She added that it’s important to be “transparent” and explain to the child the rationale behind wanting to share such content publicly. Irwin says this is what she does with her children before posting photos or videos of them on her social channels.

“Children need to understand their role in it,” she said.

As children enter school and become more media-savvy, Irwin said it’s important for parents to “model” how to use social media properly.

“If we model the right usage, and the right content is shared, how we share it, and get consent to share things, I think that will … help kids turn that around,” he said. part of best practices when they use social media,” she says.

Julie Romanowski, a childhood consultant and parenting coach at Miss Behavior, says parents should be “extremely cautious and cautious” when sharing their child’s content on social media. network.

Romanowski told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Wednesday that the photos parents share will “100%” affect children as they grow up.

“What happens in our childhood will profoundly affect us and adults, for better or worse, and what our parents choose – for ourselves, for our families,” she said. children – will have a lasting impact.

A 2019 Microsoft internet safety study found that 42% of 12,500 teenagers surveyed across 25 countries said they had trouble with their parents’ online “sharing” levels, with 11% say it’s a “big deal” in their lives. grow up.

Depending on the type of content parents post online, Romanowski said, it could have a negative impact on their future prospects, such as going to college or finding a job. She says a photo or video that a parent finds funny now, may not be funny to a potential employer 15 years from now.

“There are potentially pictures that paint a very different story to another person and a child has no control over that,” she said.

While privacy settings can help limit who sees that content, Romanowski notes that there are always ways around them, such as screenshots and even if a person takes down content. That, she said, does not mean that the content is completely removed from the internet.

“Once it’s out there, it’s out there… so use your judgment and be careful with it,” she said.

Romanowski said parents are “ultimately responsible” for their kids’ digital footprints – big or small, or if they are – until they’re old enough to use social media for themselves.

“Most parents are proud of their children, that’s why they post. But we have to keep in mind what this will look like for the child as they get older? In my experience, most parents don’t think so,” she said.

“Whatever you’re posting… gets you thinking: Will this have a positive or negative impact on my kids and their future?”

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