Recently we had an incident - nothing serious, just something that made us want to discuss online privacy with our kids. You see BP has been on Facebook for some time now and while he doesn't really use it to post photos often he does sometimes. When I was scrolling through Facebook and happened to see a post by BP showing a photo of LP I knew it was time to discuss things.
It's not that I don't want to see photos of LP, I do, but the photo prompted us to discuss choices made by LP, by BP, and the differences in them. We sat them both down and talked about our thoughts and opinions on online photos and why we do not share photos of them online.
How to begin?
For us the sharing of the photo prompted us to take steps and discuss, but to be honest I'm sure it would've come up in conversation at some point. I have often mentioned that I don't share photos on the blog and LP has asked me why a couple of times.
In order to ensure we had their attention the entire time we all sat in the lounge with the TV off. We sat on the sofa and raised the issue of BP posting the photo of LP. He told us that LP had said he could, so we explained that LP didn't really understand what he was agreeing to.
Once you've lost your privacy you realise you've lost an extremely valuable thing.
Billy Graham
Younger children
The younger the child the less they understand what they're submitting themselves to when they get older. We explained that while LP thought it was okay to post photos of him running around or making silly faces now, in a few years - when he's a teen - he might not want those photos online, but by then it is too late. Younger children do not have the foresight to see that those photos do not go away, they're there forever and no amount of complaining or deleting the photos will get rid of them. It was difficult for LP to understand, he didn't think there was a problem - but of course he's young and cannot see any issues with it. BP on the other hand did understand.
Older children/Teens
Teens and older children are on social media by the time they're 13, some even before that. They share photos of themselves, they share photos of their food. They're forever sharing something - putting it out there into the world - much like bloggers. But even at their age they're not thinking about the future. The photos they post of their friends being silly or doing something stupid could come back to haunt them come University or job interview time. Anything posted onto social media will always be there - anyone can search through your history and see it.
When we discussed this with BP I think he began to understand what we were saying. We gave him the example of photos of him in Orlando hugging Mickey Mouse. We said that while he absolutely loved that photo when he was 8 years old and would've been happy for us to share it, these days there is no way he would let us share it - he'd be far too embarrassed. We had an example that relates to him and so it was easier for him to understand what we were trying to say. Whether he agrees with us is another matter.
Growing up in a different time
I was born in 1981 - the internet was in its infancy, just a networking protocol between universities, and it wasn't until 1989 that the World Wide Web came about thanks to the research of Tim Berners-Lee. The first time I encountered anything like the internet of today was when I was in college, I was 18 years old and could go online in the library to search for information for coursework. By the time I was working and had my own flat at 21 I had internet at home and used it daily.
As a person who grew up in an age when the internet didn't really exist I've seen the beginnings and the explosion of information since it took off. Not only did I live a childhood completely free of social media but I have had the experience of seeing it arrive and grow and been able to understand (for the most part) what it is all about and the risks involved.
It used to be that dating someone you'd met on a dating website was seen as dodgy - I know that when I was a teen it was seen as something only strange people did. Yet these days it is something every single person (as opposed to coupled/married/dating) does using their mobile phone.
I understand that because I grew up at a time when the internet was new I'm acutely aware of the risks, it was a scary new thing that could connect you to someone you'd never met who was half way around the world. In a way this might influence my opinion of it, but it also gives me knowledge of what can happen. There are hundreds of stories of children being groomed or taken because someone has seen photos of them online.
I need my children to understand it is not as innocent as they think, without scaring them of course!
No more privacy?
For me it's not just about the safety of my children, it's also about their privacy. Like I said, I grew up in a time when I didn't have to think about that stuff but my boys do and they need to know what it means when they post things online.
Privacy is important - no matter what any social media or internet company tells you, everyone needs privacy. Just because you want privacy does NOT mean you're trying to hide something, but that's what they want everyone to think.
It's dangerous when people are willing to give up their privacy.
Noam Chomsky
Sharing every part of your life online is great, if you choose to do that with your eyes wide open. But children can't do that. They have no idea what they're opening themselves up to and cannot comprehend the changes it may make to their lives at a later date.
The Hubby and I don't share photos of our boys online anymore. We did, at one time, until we actually thought about what we were doing. We don't use cloud photo storage, we don't post photos of our boys on Facebook, and I don't share photos of them on the blog. It is a choice we made to protect their privacy and as their parents I believe that is our absolute responsibility. I want my children to make their own decisions on privacy when they are old enough to understand what they're doing - or at least when they're old enough that they don't want to listen to me anymore!
Tech attack?
I know it sounds like I hate technology but I don't. I have embraced the flood of information given to us every day, it has allowed me to blog at home while taking care of my boys. It has given me the opportunity to create a business I might have otherwise not known. I communicate with people everyday while sitting at my computer in my lounge and I share things online on a more than daily basis. I LOVE technology.
Just because the technology is there and can be used doesn't mean we should. Giving Snapchat as an example - I do not use it. I have hundreds of friends who use it all the time and I see their photos with the "skins" and think how nice it would be to use it. But there's something fundamental about it that I don't like. And that's exactly why I don't let BP use it either - the idea that he could share a photo with friends thinking it would get deleted immediately, only to have them screenshot the photo and share it with others fills me with dread. There's also the map issues and the complications of having BP use it ALL THE TIME like Stressy Mummy's eldest son.
As an adult and a parent I make decisions and choices based on the information and knowledge I have.
My kids and social media
My boys don't really know much about social media at the moment. At 8 years old LP seems to have paid more attention and I guess that's because he sees me using my phone all the time and wonders what I'm doing. He often sits with me while I scroll through Twitter and interact with followers, or looks at photos on Instagram with me. He knows about social media but I don't think he thinks of it as something he would use - not yet anyway.
At 13 years old BP is more aware of social media, he uses WhatsApp to chat to his friends and he scrolls through Facebook and shares videos he likes. A couple of times he has asked for Snapchat, and he even tried to download it when he wasn't home once but we have the parental controls set so that he can't do that. I know the time is coming when he'll decide that we shouldn't tell him what he can and can't do, I know that at some point we will just have to relinquish control and allow him to make the mistakes. But while he is still young I am taking control and I will do everything I can to educate him enough that he either doesn't make the mistakes, or if he does, he can deal with them.
Have you discussed your kids' online privacy?
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Such an interesting post and thank you for the mention. I have always shared photos of the children and it wasn't until the teen started having problems with his friends sharing my photos of him, that I really thought about the effects of sharing the photos. I do still use photos of the kids, but a lot less and my instagram is now private. The whole online world is such a big part of kids lives but it is right that it is up to them if they want to share photos of themselves and as parents we do need to firstly think before we share photos and secondly about how to teach them to be safe online. Some really great advice here and I love the new look of your blog too xx
ReplyDeleteOh you're welcome Nikki. That's always been my worry, that one of the boys will have a problem with me sharing things about them. That's why I'm so careful about it.
DeleteAnd thanks (on the blog look), I love it now. xxx
This!!! It is so important for kids to learn early on. Social media can be a useful tool or a nightmare!
ReplyDeleteExactly Tracy, it's crazy how much of a part of our lives it is, but it is and so we have to learn to deal with it. xx
DeleteReally important information, thank you for sharing X #bigpinklink
ReplyDeleteThanks x
DeleteI really respect your approach to privacy. I am the same age as you and feel very similarly to you in that I am wary of the internet and how it could effect my child as they grow up. The Mickey Mouse photo is a great technique for teaching your son. I do post photos of my daughter online, but I try to protect her identity by obscuring her face. I am not comfortable with giving away her privacy when she is not yet able to have a say. This piece really resonated and has given me something to think hard about. #bigpinklink
ReplyDeleteThanks, and I'm glad it made you think. It's always been my opinion that my boys should get to choose whether I post photos of them and obviously when they are young they can't make those informed decisions. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment.xx
DeleteThis is the second post I have read this week about online privacy. It is so important to teach it young. #bloggerclubuk
ReplyDeleteI totally agree Tracy. x
DeleteWe've been having similar conversations with the Tubblet about this. It's important to teach them young as once those photos or comments are out there, it's almost impossible to get them back. And you never know where things will end up
ReplyDeleteExactly hun, it's a terrifying thought.
DeleteMy daughter is on Instagram, we have had numerous conversations about the things she should/shouldn't post. She also knows to tell me if there is something she is not happy about.
ReplyDelete#FamilyFun
That's great Ali, I'm glad to hear you're talking to your daughter about it. 😊
DeleteOh this really scares me. My children are way too young for this conversation at the moment but it will certainly be one we will need to have. I am so grateful I didnt grow up in the world of social media but certainly worry for my children doing so! Thanks for joining us at #familyfun
ReplyDeleteOh me too! I can't imagine what the pressure is like to have so many followers or likes. It's bad enough with bloggers but teenagers?!
DeleteMy two have done a lot about online privacy at school. I share photos of them on the blog and instagram but I am always very careful not to share anything that I would be embarrassed to see from my childhood, if that makes sense. I think they go through a period as teens where it isn't cool but when they are older and with children of their own, I think they'll really like the online diary. Thanks for linking up to the #bigpinklink this week.
ReplyDeleteThanks Louise. I do think schools need to be teaching this stuff as part of the basic curriculum, it should be as important as maths and English as far as I'm concerned.
DeleteGreat post discuss Morgan. I used to post a lot of family photos when they were younger as it was not something I had ever thought of. I try not to post them nowdays but only when they say I can ( which is not very often:))
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing your post with us at Creative Mondays. Have a great week and we hope to see you soon.
Thanks Claire, I think that's the thing - when they're young they think it's cool. As they grow up they don't like it. Then when they get even older they may like the idea again. I guess for me it's about respecting them and their views. 😊
DeleteI'm with you Morgan. I feel quite wary about sharing photos online and as my two have started to get older I've become more and more cautious about what I share. Mine are still only very young but I can see them becoming their own people and with that I'm recognising that their privacy is something which I need to respect. Thanks for linking up with us for #DreamTeam xx
ReplyDeleteThanks hun, I couldn't agree more. 😊
DeleteI'm with you Morgan. I feel quite wary about sharing photos online and as my two have started to get older I've become more and more cautious about what I share. Mine are still only very young but I can see them becoming their own people and with that I'm recognising that their privacy is something which I need to respect. Thanks for linking up with us for #DreamTeam xx
ReplyDeleteThis is something I worry about a lot. My two are only 3 and 1, so I don't need to really do anything just yet, but I know once my eldest is at primary school the pressures to have a mobile phone and Facebook profiles will emerge. I hope to teach them that social media can be like inviting a stranger into your home, and you should be mindful of who you're sharing information with. I want to let them experience social media, as I think it's a part of modern life. But it's a tricky balancing act as you say. Great post. Thanks for sharing with #fortheloveofBLOG
ReplyDeleteOoh I like that analogy - I might use that when talking to LP about it. I agree that social media is a part of modern life and I don't want my boys to grow wary of it, but they do need to be taught to look after their privacy. xx
DeleteFab post hun. I do worry about all the pics I have shared sometimes but am now more mindful of it and I have changed what I post about too, as think my eldest may not like it, even though she's only 4. I think you have made some good decisions and have some good strategies. Thanks for sharing with #bloggersbes x
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah. Even at 4 years old children get some strong opinions about these things. 😉
DeleteThis is such an important piece for parents to read. While I do share some photos I do try to be choosy. Balance I guess?
ReplyDeleteTotally. If you choose to share those photos that's fine, it's personal choice after all. 😊
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