Someone I know on a social networking site, keeps posting pictures of other people's kids on their profile. This is fine, as long as the parents of those children are okay with it. But I wonder if these same parents know that this person has also posted pics of their kids on other SN'ing sites? Like those free dating websites.
Another person I know has posted nudie pics of their own baby. Sure, the nether regions are covered up, but they're still nudie.
I've read a lot about SN sites, about their safety & privacy limitations. Something that people lose sight of, is the ability to access and share your own information. While your own privacy settings may be sky high, chances are, not all your friends' settings are just as high. Think of this: You post pics of your kids, to share with your friends. Your friends include the kids' grandparents. The grandparents love the pics, and want to share them with their own (non-mutual) friends. So, they copy a few and create their own album. But they haven't figured out how to adjust their security status, so it's still the original, everyone-can-see setting. Ack. Suddenly, your babies are out there for the world to see.
Let's face it: there are some real sickos out there. The most disgusting bottom feeders in the universe, the child predators. Until the laws are changed to allow for legal genital mutilation of these SOB's, please be overly protective of what you put out there for the world to see. When you think about it, if your kids aren't old enough to protect themselves on these sites, then you need to be their protector, plain and simple.
You hear about these parents who take extra care with monitoring their kids' use of the computer, and they watch closely what websites they are accessing. Awesome for you, keep up the good work. BUT - what if it's you who's sharing too much? Is your child old enough to say "Hey, Mom, take down that bath pic of me, would ya?" If not, then you definitely need to be thinking from more than one point of view here.
If you need a refresher on the disgusting predators out there, then follow the Graham James case for a bit. He was a hockey coach. And he sexually abused boys. The guy won awards as a coach, was held in very high regard, and trusted by these boys' parents. My true hope is that these predators are few and far between, but we'll never know the exact stats, thanks to the internet. Play it safe, and don't assume everyone on your friends list is as careful as you (but please, don't drive yourself crazy wondering if any of your friends is a sadist....but if there's anyone you're unsure of, just play it safe.).
I don't have kids, but I'm more than happy and willing to play a role in keeping kids safe. It's the least we can do.
No comments:
Post a Comment