02:57
Faizan
Facebook gives parents a means to instantly share pictures of their children with multiple people, instead of having to physically mail photos or write an email, create a mailing list and attach a picture. They can also make the page private so only users on their friends list can see their profile and any pictures it contains. But those parental controls don't ensure total privacy for your Facebook profile, meaning there are still dangers involved in uploading your children's photos.
Pedophiles and Child Pornography
Pedophiles are a major concern, which is why many parents refrain from posting photographs of their kids. According to a New York Times article, the possibility of children being stalked on Facebook is small since pedophiles tend to seek explicit sexual materials that the network would not allow to be posted online, and predators also favor private chat rooms where they can lure teens into suggestive conversations. However, there is always a chance that a child's photo could catch a pedophile's attention.
Reposting
Even if your Facebook friends are the only ones permitted to see your pictures, they can distribute the photos by copying and pasting them in an email or on another website. They can do this without your knowledge or permission. Although your friends may innocently want to share a photo because they think it's cute, they are now distributing pictures of your children that you intended to keep private.
Advertising
One of the risks of photos being reposted without your knowledge is your child's image could be exploited for commercial purposes. An unscrupulous person who wants a photo of a pretty baby to advertise their business or use at work for a marketing campaign might be on the mailing list of your well-meaning sister who is sharing photos of her new baby niece. Aside from the loss of privacy, the child and the parent are also cheated from being compensated for the use of the child's image.
Bullying
If a parent is having a disagreement with someone outside of the home or is caught in a public scandal, their child can be vicariously exposed to the bullying. Say, for instance, a man is suddenly laid off and is depressed. His teenage son looks up the Facebook profile of his father's former employer and sees that he attends the same school as the other man's son, who is Step 10. Angry and upset that his father is depressed, and now armed with the younger boy's identity, the teen starts harassing the other child whenever he gets the chance.
Mixed Messages
Parents today are trying to teach children to stay safe online by not giving away information about them. However, parents themselves expose their children to the world at large by posting their pictures to Facebook, and it can make it hard for them to enforce their rules for their kids when it comes to interacting online. If a father instructs his daughter not to tell strangers personal information, but he posts a picture of her holding a regional trophy for a dance competition held in Detroit, the parent has now told countless viewers his daughter competes in contests in the Detroit area, has dark hair, is about 5 feet, 4 inches tall and has a distinguishing scar on her right cheek.
Pedophiles and Child Pornography
Pedophiles are a major concern, which is why many parents refrain from posting photographs of their kids. According to a New York Times article, the possibility of children being stalked on Facebook is small since pedophiles tend to seek explicit sexual materials that the network would not allow to be posted online, and predators also favor private chat rooms where they can lure teens into suggestive conversations. However, there is always a chance that a child's photo could catch a pedophile's attention.
Reposting
Even if your Facebook friends are the only ones permitted to see your pictures, they can distribute the photos by copying and pasting them in an email or on another website. They can do this without your knowledge or permission. Although your friends may innocently want to share a photo because they think it's cute, they are now distributing pictures of your children that you intended to keep private.
Advertising
One of the risks of photos being reposted without your knowledge is your child's image could be exploited for commercial purposes. An unscrupulous person who wants a photo of a pretty baby to advertise their business or use at work for a marketing campaign might be on the mailing list of your well-meaning sister who is sharing photos of her new baby niece. Aside from the loss of privacy, the child and the parent are also cheated from being compensated for the use of the child's image.
Bullying
If a parent is having a disagreement with someone outside of the home or is caught in a public scandal, their child can be vicariously exposed to the bullying. Say, for instance, a man is suddenly laid off and is depressed. His teenage son looks up the Facebook profile of his father's former employer and sees that he attends the same school as the other man's son, who is Step 10. Angry and upset that his father is depressed, and now armed with the younger boy's identity, the teen starts harassing the other child whenever he gets the chance.
Mixed Messages
Parents today are trying to teach children to stay safe online by not giving away information about them. However, parents themselves expose their children to the world at large by posting their pictures to Facebook, and it can make it hard for them to enforce their rules for their kids when it comes to interacting online. If a father instructs his daughter not to tell strangers personal information, but he posts a picture of her holding a regional trophy for a dance competition held in Detroit, the parent has now told countless viewers his daughter competes in contests in the Detroit area, has dark hair, is about 5 feet, 4 inches tall and has a distinguishing scar on her right cheek.
Posted in: facebook
