The thing about good parenting is that it’s always changing. As the world around us evolves, so do proper parenting practices, and sometimes things in the world are so new that it’s not always what the right answer is. A great example of this is the advent of social media, and the way it’s consumed by the world at large. There are many perils that come with it, and young kids may not be equipped to deal with it. This begs the question: is it wrong to post pictures of your child on social media?
Why People Do It
There are parents who don’t subscribe to the idea that their children need to be protected from social media. They post pictures of their kids without a care in the world, and in some cases post frequent videos of them too. In their eyes, social media is just part of the world, and their kids will eventually be exposed to it anyway, so why not give them a headstart?
Proper Protection
However, many find this mindset to be a bit flawed. Ultimately, posting pictures and videos of your kid serves you more than it serves your child. We don’t mean to generalize, but social media is riddled with toxic energy that feeds on attention, with an emphasis on likes, views, and comments.
Not to mention the fact that posting pictures of your child’s face online exposes them to all kinds of people out there, and some who may not have their best interests at heart. And finally, big tech is always harvesting data about all social media users, making it somewhat unsettling to know that parents are happily feeding information about their children to them.
For these reasons, parents would do well to tread lightly when it comes to posting pictures and videos about their children. You don’t have to close them off completely—after all, they will learn about it eventually—but you can at least try to shield them while they still have their innocence left.