October 18, 2010

Are we "pimping" out our kids?

I LOVE social media.  And the number one reason I do is because of all the PICTURES!!  I won't talk to someone for a few days, weeks or years...but I can still get a snapshots of their lives when they post pictures online.

I like party pictures, scenic pictures and most of all, pictures of kids!  They make me smile and I get to see children grow up, even if it's only through someone else's lens.  But how much is too much?

My personal facebook page has TONS of pictures of my daughter.  I can't help it.  She is just too cute!  And I love when people comment about how big she has gotten or about the funny face she is making.

And when I really think about it, I posted pictures of my daughter when she was fresh out of the womb.  I just couldn't wait for everyone to see her.  And while I didn't do it with my daughter, I have seen numerous ultrasound pictures online.  That means precious babies are getting their first close-ups before they've even taken their first breath!

But is it too much? 

I work in the news biz.  And I KNOW how many perverts are out there.  It makes my skin crawl thinking that they could be looking at a precious picture of MY child and using it for some sick sexual satisfaction.

Is ignorance bliss?  Should I not care if pervs are looking at the pictures as long as I don't know about it?  Maybe.  But as she gets older and goes online herself, will these sickos be following her...just waiting for the day they can "find" her online?  Would I have indirectly introduced a sexual predator to my child?

It's a tough dilemma and one I would LOVE to get your insight on.  What do YOU do? 

3 comments:

  1. No way!! Celebrating all of the milestones your child conquers with the people that are close to you is NOT pimping your baby. When family is far away (like me), seeing first steps, big smiles and birthday cake - if only just in pictures or video - is SO important. It makes me feel like I am a part of all of it, even when there are many miles separating us.

    As parents, it is our job to protect our children. That means making profile information and pictures private and only available to those that are important to us. As our children grow and become part of the online community, it is our responsibility to make sure that our kids know that the "bad guys" are out there. We should be proactive in tutoring our children about the world as it exists online and in "real time". And that means making sure that the pictures they post are appropriate and they know how to protect themselves against predators - online or not.

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  2. I came here to make a comment. But Sarah beat me to it. Word for word.

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  3. I have all of my pictures online and as long as you are smart about it I see no problem with it. Social media now has ways to make it easy to share with those you want to share with and to hide from those you don't want to share with.

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